Crystal Dreams
by GreatLight432
Summary: NeoQueen Serenity has been acting peculiarly lately...and one senshi, along with her swordsman companion, are determined to find out why! COMPLETE!
1. Prologue

Sailor Moon: Crystal Dreams  
  
Author's Disclaimer and notes: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own any of the Sailor Scouts, Urawa, or Endymion. I also do not own any of the Four Fiends, Sephiroth, or Zemus/Zeromous. They are the property of Naoko Takeuchi-sama and Squaresoft-sama, respectively. The other characters I do own, however, and would appreciate you letting me know if you plan to use them. That said, let's move onto my notes...  
  
This is a crossover fanfic that I came up with after several re-writes, and I think that after writing the entire story from scratch three times, if you don't like this one, TOUGH!:P  
  
And now, without further ado, I present to you my very first, but hopefully not last, crossover fanfic.  
  
Prologue  
  
Deep inside his sanctuary, a tall, purple-skinned and powerful figure sat on his throne, awaiting the call from his puppet in place on Earth. Though he was so thin as to appear emaciated, and resembled the Terran legendary beings known as elves, anyone could feel the intense waves of magical energy radiating off of him, coinciding with his rage. Shifting in his seat, he began to get more restless, until a small, holographic figure appeared on the floor in front of him.  
  
The woman was dressed in a long white gown, with butterfly wings apparently attached to the back, and her long, blonde hair was done in two 'meatballs' that trailed down in pigtails that came to her knees. Set above her head, to complete the ensemble of royalty, was a small silver crown.  
  
The first figure spoke, his voice sounding harsh and raspy: "Your report, Serenity?"  
  
Serenity bowed, not raising her head to speak directly to her master. "Master, we have nearly paved the way for your arrival. Another two weeks, and the populace will be cowed into submission for your." and at this, she smirked, "coronation."  
  
The being settled back in his throne, a grin evident on his face. "Excellent. But are you certain that this cannot be sped up anymore?"  
  
Serenity nodded slightly. "Yes, m'lord. Several citizens have complained about my new 'policies', but they've been.taken care of."  
  
Serenity's master noted the hesitancy in her voice, and spoke again: "Problems?"  
  
Serenity shrugged, daring to look up at her master at this point. "I don't know, my master, it's just.something bothers me about my new general. He's too.efficient at his job.there's something wrong about him."  
  
"Wrong in what way?" Despite himself, the figure was clearly intrigued.  
  
"Wrong in that he doesn't look or feel like he belongs here. And despite the fact that he uses magic, it's not the type of magic that you or I use. Plus...I just don't know...he seems to have some sort of hidden agenda."  
  
Serenity's master pursed his lips, and then shook his head. "It hardly matters. So long as he does not oppose you, leave him be. In the meantime, I think it's about time for the Sailor Senshi to be detained. I'm looking forward to some entertainment at my coronation, and their execution will be just the ticket. Once they're gone, no one will stop us from re-making Earth into a new Lunaria."  
  
"It shall be done as you desire, master. Consider them as good as captured." 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One  
  
As the bells tolled their mournful clanging, the streets of Crystal Tokyo (which, just a few seconds before, were bursting with life) emptied within the blink of an eye. Before the first few tolls had faded, stores were already being closed, and people were rushing to their homes. Before the last toll sounded, the only thing left on the streets was trash that fluttered along in the breeze.  
  
Well, maybe it wasn't the only thing.  
  
Out of an alleyway, a cloaked figure silently slipped into the main avenue. The figure's hood turned both ways before coming further out and risking exposure. Moving silently and without hesitation, the personage moved across the street and into another alley. Standing next to a solid brick wall, the person rapped the barrier twice, then three times, and finally, after a pause of two full seconds, tapped once.  
  
A long pause followed, with the figure glancing nervously around. A faint humming sound soon became audible, and person's agitation increased. Glancing about fearfully, the figure's back was turned as a hidden door opened and a strong arm grabbed the person by the shoulder, and dragged it inside, the door shutting mere milliseconds later. A heartbeat after that, two hover cycles with Crystal police officers cruised slowly by the alleyway, pausing only long enough to shine their floodlights in. A moment later, the hum faded, and all was still again.  
  
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The cloaked figure scrambled up off the floor, pulling off the outer adornment as she did so, revealing a beautiful young woman in her twenties, with a slim, athletic figure, and a face that was framed by short, blue hair. Her aquamarine eyes glared at the tall brunette who stood by the door she had just been dragged through.  
  
"Think you could have cut it closer, Jupiter? I think those cops might have been interested in learning about a secret meeting between the former Guardians."  
  
Sailor Jupiter met her comrade's gaze evenly, her face betraying nothing. Finally, though, she sighed and her shoulders drooped as if the world had dropped onto her shoulders.which, in point of fact, it had. Her normal athletic figure had deteriorated over the several weeks that Neo- Queen Serenity had.changed. Though she was still formidable in a fight, her lack of diligence in training had revealed the inner turmoil they all felt.though some were more vocal and expressive about it than others.  
  
"I know, Mercury, but I was trying to keep Mars from attacking Luna again. She made the suggestion that the Black Poison Crystal that was fired by Nemesis may have corrupted Serenity, and Mars just went berserk. It took Uranus, Neptune and me just to restrain her." Jupiter's voice took on a subdued note here, and she looked the other way.  
  
Sailor Mercury's initial anger softened. Out of all of them, Serenity's 'change' had hit Mars and Venus the hardest. Mars openly dared anyone to suggest that their friend and queen was now the enemy, and Venus seemed to be curled up in a little ball, wrapping herself in a blanket of denial, figuratively speaking.  
  
What none of them could figure out was how perfectly the whole thing was timed. Not two days (not two months, or even weeks, but days) after King Endymion and Princess Small Lady's departure for Europe for a peace conference, the.changes had begun. First, it was a clampdown on all extracurricular establishments and news, then an outrageous tax hike, and finally.  
  
Mercury shivered, her eyes brimming with tears at the memory. Only a week before, Queen Serenity had called her Guardians in and told them, in no uncertain terms, that if she saw them again, they died. Immediately after that, they were all escorted out-not just out of her chambers, but out of the palace. They had been so shocked by the simple pronouncement that they didn't even give thought to fighting back, to asking or demanding for answers. They had only been dragged, in a state resembling alarm, outside, where they had merely gone their separate ways, figuring everything would be back to normal the next morning.  
  
Except that night, 24,000 people were shot, beaten, or disintegrated by Serenity's power, all because they were peacefully protesting the tax hike. Fearful that her wrath would reach them next, the senshi took to hiding, and formed a small (insofar as they were the only members) resistance group.  
  
Shaking off her reverie, Mercury clapped Jupiter on the shoulder, and the two walked into the main hall, where a large table was set up, with seven chairs set up around it. The other members of the senshi, who all stared (with varying degrees of hostility or hope) at the two cats sitting at the head, occupied five. The pair might have ordinarily been dismissed as plain housecats, save for their matching crescent moon markings on their foreheads. But the Guardians knew different. It was Luna and Artemis who had led them through several crises before, and they would do so again.  
  
One of the Guardians, with black hair, and dressed in a purple and white fuku, who had been present from the start, and was obviously the youngest, spoke to the black-furred cat. "Luna, what have you got for us?"  
  
Luna looked at her white-furred companion, who lowered his head and wouldn't meet her gaze. These last few weeks had been hard on Luna as well, and though Artemis was a great source of comfort, she had failed to find any answers to their predicament that didn't involve confronting Serenity. She tried to find a diplomatic way to tell the others that, especially considering Mars, and then sighed.  
  
"I.am afraid that there's no alternatives. She doesn't even want to see me, of all people. I know I was hard on her before the Cataclysm, but to have her actually shun me." Luna's voice broke, and she wept bitterly, while Artemis tried to comfort her. She'd failed. She had served on the court of Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, and now in Neo-Queen Serenity's court.and yet, her queen, whom she had loved so dearly, had become what she would never have thought possible.  
  
"Then.then it's over." The words were barely audible, but everyone flinched as if they had been slapped. Venus looked over at everyone, her eyes shimmering. "We might as well give up, you guys! We don't have a chance against her."  
  
A fist slammed into the table with such resounding force that even Mars, who had been preparing to jump over the table and attack Venus for such an accusation, was cowed into silence. Everyone turned to look at the Guardian who, in civilian form, resembled a man as much as a girl, with her short blonde hair and masculine features. Uranus looked at each and every one of them, her gaze as hard as steel.  
  
"How dare you, Venus." Uranus said it so softly, that Luna and Artemis might have missed it, had it not been for her lips moving. "How dare you suggest that we just give up. We have been through so much, and now you want us to QUIT!?!"  
  
Mercury shifted in her seat, and then looked up at her comrade. "Uranus, together we might be able to subdue her, but." and with this, she glanced at Mars, who had her head down, with her shimmering black hair blocking any view of her face, "it's more likely that we'll kill her. We have to fight the cause of this evil, not just the face. 'There are a thousand people hacking at the branches of evil compared to one who is striking at the root.' I don't think Serenity is the real cause here."  
  
Saturn grimaced as she commented, "I've heard a saying, 'Where there is light, there is darkness.' Perhaps, like me, she was..." The young senshi let her voice trail off, the sentence unfinished.  
  
But nothing more really needed to be said for the gist to be understood. Everyone present knew that Saturn struggled constantly, especially in battle, to suppress the cancerous evil that resided within her body, courtesy of her possession by Mistress 9. Despite the fact that only a week ago, the others would have laughed at the thought of their friend and queen becoming possessed by a similar evil, no one could find the words to contradict the scout of death.  
  
It was at this point that Artemis stepped forward and cleared his throat.  
  
"I.I think I know where we can get some help, too."  
  
Everyone turned, in almost perfect tandem, to face the advisor, Luna among them. Artemis shifted a bit, then plunged ahead: "About two years ago, I came across a computer reference in the Moon's central database that referred to an event that occurred on Earth called the War of Nations. Details on it were sketchy, but apparently, when things are at their worst, a Paladin warrior, with great power, will come out to help the oppressed." Glancing fearfully at Mars, Artemis continued, "I think.that we should try to find him. He could be a great asset in fighting the cause of this evil."  
  
Mars shifted in her seat for the first time, and spoke, startling everyone. "Then let's find him.before any more innocent people suffer."  
  
Everyone turned to look at her, but her eyes and face were devoid of emotion. She gave a wan smile at everyone, and sniffed. "I know I've been a jerk, beating up on all of you when you were only telling the truth, but.I know that there's no alternative. We have  
  
Shaking her head, Venus took charge. "Alright, Artemis. Do you have any clues as to where we can locate this Paladin?"  
  
At that moment, a section of wall furthest from the group came crashing in, followed quickly by several Crystal soldiers and police. Their leader raised a megaphone, and shouted, "Freeze, Guardians. You are hereby under arrest for conspiracy against Neo-Queen Serenity!"  
  
As soon as the last word passed his lips, several things happened at once.  
  
All seven senshi unleashed their most powerful attacks against the warriors, who scattered. Luna and Artemis took off, presumably to find a safe place to hide for the time being. And once the senshi had finished their attacks, they, too, split up to meet later.  
  
If it hadn't been for the soldier's stun rifles, they would have made it. After a barrage of stun blasts nailed the former Guardians, half of the troops moved forward to gather up their captives, while the other half remained alert for an ambush. Moments later, they located the advisors, who surrendered without a fight. They, like their friends, were dumped unceremoniously into a prison cart. One soldier remarked to the other as they headed for their transports, "Hey, did you count how many a' the guardians we got?"  
  
His companion shook his head. "Naw, didn't need to. We got 'em all."  
  
The first soldier pulled off his helmet and scratched his head. "I dunno, man. I was countin', and I only came up with six, eight if you count the cats. Wasn't there nine all told?"  
  
The second trooper looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. "What difference does it make? One guardian ain't gonna do anything to harm us. 'Sides, it's only a matter of time before she's caught, too. That's assumin' we did miss one, which is highly unlikely."  
  
The first nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, come on, beers are on me."  
  
Had the two been looking at the prison cart as it pulled away, they might have wondered about the mockingly triumphant grin on Luna's face. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two  
  
A lone figure, dressed in nondescript civilian clothes, casually walked along the deserted streets of Crystal Tokyo, not too far from where the 'raid' had taken place. He'd heard the sirens earlier, as well as seeing the massive activity, but shrugged it off. He'd seen weirder things happen in his years of living, especially all of the new troops that Serenity put into her army.  
  
The man shook his head, as he adjusted his sword sheath, and loosened his windbreaker's collar. He'd gotten into an altercation with a few of them last night, and though he'd disposed of them quickly before they could report in, they hadn't died.not in the normal sense, anyway. They'd fallen and failed to get up, sure, but instead of bleeding, they'd simply turned into dust and vanished. It was a puzzle, to be sure, and the man detested puzzles.  
  
"Like I haven't got enough to figure out, what with Serenity acting the way she is," the person spoke to himself softly. He'd often lent an ear to anyone who wanted to gripe about conditions in the city, and for the most part agreed with what people said. But the one thing he couldn't come to grips with was that it was Serenity acting like this.  
  
'It's impossible. There's gotta be some other explanation. Plus, I just have this weird feeling...' he thought. Just as he reached the alley corner, he turned and ran smack into a green blur turning in the opposite direction. Both crashed to the ground with grunts of pain.  
  
Shaking his head, the man looked up to see if the other recipient was okay.and felt his mouth drop in astonishment.  
  
"Guardian Jupiter," he whispered in awe. Like all of the citizens of Crystal Tokyo, he'd heard of or seen the Guardians before, but always at a distance, even when he.the man shook that thought off, clambered to his feet, and extended a helping hand.  
  
"My apologies, m'lady. I hope you're not seriously hurt." As he pulled her to her feet, he could feel a familiar feeling in his gut. 'Oh, no, not now.' he thought. Now was definitely not the time to start getting butterflies in his stomach. He'd thought that once he quit the military, he'd gotten over his crush on Jupiter. Apparently, he was wrong.  
  
Jupiter looked at him, and smiled, but there was something in her eyes that indicated urgency. "Thanks, citizen, but I have to be going now." She stopped herself before continuing on, and looked at him with a puzzled look on her face. "Wait.why are you out here? Don't you know it's after curfew?"  
  
The man shrugged. "I never was exactly one for playing by the rules. Besides, I apparently know this city better than Serenity's troops, since I've never had trouble losing them.mostly."  
  
Jupiter nodded, and was about to say something else, when a blue energy bolt whipped by both of them. Both whirled to peer at the source, and saw that one end of the alleyway was filled with soldiers who slowly crept in their direction, unaware how to take them into custody.  
  
Jupiter stepped in front, talking back to her companion, "Get out of here! I'll hold them off!" That said, she prepared to fire a Sparkling Wide Pressure attack.  
  
She had just started to charge up when the man casually sauntered forward, and pulled his broadsword out of its sheath, making a metallic rasping sound. He took two more steps forward, and tapped the sword on his shoulder as he addressed the opposition.  
  
"All right, that's far enough, guys. Just turn around and walk away."  
  
His words failed to have the desired effect, and in fact, caused the soldiers to charge forward, hoping to overwhelm their targets with sheer numbers. Jupiter prepared to attack but realized with a vague frustration that she couldn't hit the troops without hitting her attempted hero. Then she saw something that indicated he might not need it.  
  
As soon as one of the frontline soldiers swung his sword at the man's head, he burst into action. Within seconds, most of the troops were dead, and those at the back had stopped their relentless approach to study this new threat. The man grinned tightly, brought his weapon up over his right shoulder, and with a visible tensing of his muscles, swung his sword in a diagonal slash at his remaining opponents. A powerful aura of energy formed around its edge and released a crescent shaped energy beam that sent its initial target flying across the street. The others, too, collapsed as the remaining energy struck them in turn, though it appeared to be weaker than the first blast. Soon after they hit the ground, their armor and bodies turned into dust and scattered.  
  
Jupiter realized at this point that her mouth was hanging open, and she closed it as the man turned to look at her with a serious, commanding gaze.  
  
"Are there any at the other end, Guardian?"  
  
Jupiter mentally shook herself out of shock, and turned to look, answering a second later, "No."  
  
The man quickly re-sheathed his sword as he walked to her. "Well, they'll be here soon. Come on, we'll be safe at my place." So saying, he took her hand, and guided her along the back alleys, until they reached a nondescript two-story house. Jupiter stopped as he opened the back door, and realized something.  
  
"Wait a minute. You obviously know me, but I can't remember you. When did we meet?"  
  
The man stopped, then slapped the palm of his hand up to his forehead. "Gah, that's right, I didn't even think about that. Sorry." Turning around, he gestured to himself with a casualness one didn't see often. "My name's Serin. You probably wouldn't remember me, since I kinda kept low during my stint in the military." As he spoke, he stepped aside, and gestured Jupiter to precede him in.  
  
"Military? Then what are you doing here? The barracks are next to the palace." She stepped in a little bit, took a deep breath and detransformed, realizing that if she had to stay here for a while, it might be best to lay low in her civilian form...even though if the troops were sent by Serenity, then it would be a moot point.  
  
Unseen behind her, Serin shrugged. "I used to be, but I left about the time Serenity.changed." He walked by her, and pulled some drinks out of his fridge. "Did you want something to drink?"  
  
Makoto shrugged. "Milk, if you've got it."  
  
"Coming right up." Serin poured a generous glass of milk, then looked up at her as he handed the glass, cursing the way his hands were trembling. 'Oh, sure, I can handle my sword with the skill of a master samurai, and I can take on an entire squad of soldiers by myself, but I can't handle being around women. Although.she is pretty.and.I'm obviously not over my crush.' Quickly, he clamped down hard on that thought, glad that he hadn't reacted with so much as a twitch.  
  
"Serin?"  
  
Serin shook his head, and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Just.thinking."  
  
Makoto accepted the glass gratefully, and ran her eyes over her protector as she drank. He was in good shape, and though he was dressed in normal, everyday civilian wear, he had somewhat good taste in clothing.even though his green windbreaker was a tad too dark. His eyes, however.she looked at his eyes, vaguely amazed at how similar they were to Serenity's before...  
  
"Guardian Jupiter?"  
  
Makoto blinked out of the daydream, a little embarrassed. 'You're not supposed to be looking for a date, ya know Let's not forget that your friends have been captured.or that your former best friend is trying to kill you, or worse.' her mind whispered sarcastically.  
  
True enough, but that didn't mean Serin had to stand on tradition. "Sorry. And you can call me.Makoto." She blinked as she realized that she had given her true name to this man, someone she'd barely met! Still, there was something magically calming about his eyes.something that made her trust him.  
  
Serin smiled. "Makoto.a beautiful name for a beautiful lady."  
  
Both blushed at about the same time, and looked away. Serin quickly came up with a change in topic.  
  
"So.Makoto-san.what were you doing out in the alleyways after curfew?"  
  
Makoto sobered, reminded of her original mission and the events that led up to it. "Well.I don't want to burden you."  
  
Serin shrugged. "I'm a good listener. But let me take a guess: you and the other Guardians were the reason behind all the police and military activity just moments ago, right?"  
  
Makoto nodded. "Yeah. We were attempting to discuss how we were going to deal with Serenity's changes, and one of our advisors hit upon what we think may be a solution." Makoto hesitated again, not altogether comfortable with involving Serin in her problems, but another gaze at his eyes calmed her fears. ".Artemis said that some time ago, there was an event here on Earth called the War of Nations. And in the middle of it all, a paladin filled with the full power of the Light rose up to destroy the darkness at the center of the entire conflict." She sighed then, and lowered her head sadly. "But before we could set out on our journey, Serenity's Enforcers and soldiers captured everyone but me. And that was only because Luna and Artemis told me to leave."  
  
Serin nodded sympathetically. "Leaving behind trusted comrades is.difficult. Believe me, I know.all too well," he muttered with a dark look to his eyes.  
  
Makoto smiled wanly, and added, "But in order to find this paladin, I have to get out of the city, and that's next to impossible."  
  
Serin looked thoughtful, and then smirked mischievously. "Not exactly. I can get you out of the city quite easily. I only ask one thing in return."  
  
Makoto looked at him, and then nodded for him to continue.  
  
Serin laid it on her. "I want to go with you."  
  
Makoto blinked, unsure that she'd heard him correctly. "Say what?"  
  
"I want to help you out in finding the answers behind all of this. Puzzles fascinate, yet at the same time irritate, me, and I see this as a very intriguing one, to say the least," he reiterated.  
  
Makoto shook her head. "I don't think you understand. You see, the other Guardians were captured. We're on our own, and the odds are against us succeeding."  
  
Serin got a wicked glint in his eyes. "Never quote me the odds. Besides, didn't the demonstration in the alley give you a good indication that I can take care of myself?" He laughed shortly. "After all, who knows? We might actually be able to pull it off. I've heard of instances where the odds are so slanted against success, that success is practically guaranteed.  
  
Makoto thought about it. On the one hand, he was right. He was more than capable of taking care of himself. And it would be handy to have some help. Plus, there was something.something she couldn't quite put her finger on, that urged her to take him with her. And though there were also good reasons for refusing to let him come, it was her unnamed feeling in the end that won.  
  
"All right. Welcome aboard."  
  
Serin grinned. "Great! Let me get a few things, and then we'll be ready to leave." So saying, he left the room.  
  
Makoto glanced about her companion's dwelling as she awaited his return, a little amazed at the cleanliness in it. Suddenly, a picture on the corner of the counter caught her eye. Walking over, she gently picked it up, a bit surprised to see that it was a picture of her, in the castle garden. Judging from the way she was smiling in the photo, it had to have been taken a great deal of time ago.  
  
Flipping the photo over, she saw the date and a little scribbled note in the corner: "The beautiful fighter of Jupiter enjoys her day off." Makoto barely suppressed a laugh at that, though the written declaration of how Serin felt (at least, she assumed that this was his handwriting) gave her an unusual, pleasant internal feeling. Though one might say she was simply developing an infatuation with him as she did every cute guy who crossed her path, the young brunette knew that this feeling was different. Before she could analyze it much further, however, she heard Serin's approaching footsteps, and hurriedly replaced the photo. She had just returned it to its original spot when she heard her companion in the doorway.  
  
"Well, Makoto-san, I'm all set, and.is something wrong?"  
  
Makoto shook herself, and tried desperately to appear casual. Turning, she flashed him a bright smile. "No, nothing." Her smile disappeared into shock shortly afterwards as she saw what he had recovered.  
  
His civilian clothes had been replaced by a green jumpsuit(still a shade too dark, Makoto thought idly) which had armored plates attached to it at several junctures; most notably in his front, from the shoulders down to the waist. A couple of plates covered the front of his upper legs, but aside from those, every other part of his body was left free to maneuver.  
  
Makoto thought for a moment that he looked even deadlier now than he had been dealing with her pursuers earlier.  
  
Serin peered at her for a few seconds more, then, feeling a bit self- conscious, glanced down at himself. Trying to take the humorous bit in this, he asked with a smile, "Um.do you like it?"  
  
Makoto blinked, then chuckled. "It's.pretty chic, actually."  
  
Serin's smile froze at that comment, but he was unsure how to respond. After a few moments, he shrugged, and gestured for her to follow him. A few seconds later, he had opened a false wall, revealing a heavily modified motorcycle. Serin slowly walked it out, and prepared to open the front door when his face got an odd look, and he looked through the peephole. What he saw made him grimace, then toss a helmet to his comrade.  
  
"Put it on, and hold on tight. This could get a bit bumpy."  
  
Makoto glanced at the door briefly, then did as she was told, wondering why she had a bad feeling about this. 'Of course. Haruka used to say that all the time when she was about to do something crazy. Maybe he knows more about us than he's letting on.?' Whatever, she knew that her best chance of getting out of this alive was with Serin, and all she could do at the moment was hope that he knew what he was doing.  
  
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Outside, two troopers approached the front door, a little uncertain as to how they were going to handle their assignment. The taller one, with a name tag that read "Wedge", turned to his comrade and said, "So, uh...you wanna tell him he's under arrest? Or do you wanna try and cover me?"  
  
His short, rotund companion, whose nametag read "Biggs", shook his head. "I think you should knock and tell him he's under arrest. That way, I've got an extra split second of life if he decides to fight."  
  
Wedge glared at his comrade, and muttered, "Thanks a lot." As they reached the door, they heard an odd sound coming from the other side. They looked at each other briefly, and then placed their ears to the door to listen.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
A mere second later, Serin and Makoto, on his hawg, crashed through the door, flattening both soldiers, and scattering the others who had just positioned themselves on the street and sidewalk. The motorcycle fishtailed and squealed as Serin attempted a sharp 90-degree left-hand turn, which was abruptly silenced as Serin regained control and sped off at top speed. The remaining troopers who had scattered and were unhurt jumped on their hover bikes and in the transport truck nearby, giving chase immediately thereafter, followed by the other ambulatory soldiers who were slightly slower to recover. Silence descended on the area for a brief moment before one voice croaked out from beneath the rubble of the front doorway:  
  
"That was the sound.of a motorcycle roaring out onto the street."  
  
"Oh."  
  
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Serin roared through the streets of Crystal Tokyo, pushing his engine to the limits, trying to reach the city border before they were caught. As if to punctuate this thought, a laser bolt whipped by his head, impacting against a wall to knock loose a good chunk of the masonry.  
  
Glancing back, he saw that they had to worry about five hover cycles, along with a transport truck. Serin grinned tightly at that. The truck would be no problem; he could get rid of it right.NOW!  
  
With a quick shout to his passenger to "Hold on!" Serin whipped his bike around in a vicious 180-degree turn, and ended up weaving through the now oncoming troops. A brief second later, he heard the screech of brakes and the squeal of tires behind him.  
  
.And WHAM, there was the sound of something heavy slamming into the transport, along with heavy crunching and tearing sounds that indicated the transport was, in all probability, now inoperable. Serin laughed exultantly, feeling good.  
  
And realized all too quickly that it wasn't over yet, as another laser blast singed the helmet on his head. Glancing back quickly, he noted that all five of the hover cycles had been good enough to match his little stunt, and were coming up fast.  
  
Serin took the next intersection left, and then another left into a tight alley. Utilizing his instincts, he managed to stay in the center of the passageway as he arrowed along.  
  
'The only benefit to this is that they're stuck in single file.' Serin thought. Then he smirked as he saw a ramp leading up to a dumpster on one side of the alley. The end result of it was that there was barely enough room for a person to walk through on the other side, much less for a cycle to pass. Flipping a mental coin, Serin turned the handlebars in the direction of the ramp, and accelerated toward his goal.  
  
Makoto gasped in shock as she saw what he had in mind, and held on tight as she shut her eyes. A faint bump, followed by a feeling of weightlessness, along with a harder thump, informed her as to the success of Serin's plan.  
  
The driver in question glanced back at their pursuit, and a wide grin on his face suddenly appeared. Behind them, several crashes told of the hover cycles either misjudging the gap on the side of the dumpster, or failing to utilize the ramp properly. His expression suddenly soured, though, as he saw that three of the cyclists actually managed to make it through the obstacle. They immediately began speeding up upon hitting the ground, as if the loss of their comrades freed them of excess weight.  
  
Biting back a curse, Serin tried to coax more speed out of the shuddering hog as he exited the alley's confines, despite the fact that its tachometer was climbing higher and higher into the red zone. Taking a right onto the next street, his eyes suddenly widened as he saw his chance.  
  
Up ahead, slowly pulling out into the street, was an eighteen-wheeler semi-trailer covering the entire road. Smirking in glee, Serin ripped the cycle's throttle up to full, and accelerated toward the obstacle. Barely hearing Makoto's shout (it was probably something extremely unprintable anyway:)), Serin twisted his cycle in a sharp 90 degree right hand turn, so it, and by extension, he and Makoto, were heading toward the trailer in a broadside manner. Letting his reflexes take over, Serin leaned the bike away from the obstruction, so that when it passed over their heads, they were almost parallel with the ground. As soon as they were on the other side, Serin gunned the engine again, arrowing away as fast as he could. If it hadn't been for the roaring engine, he would have heard three smaller, yet no less painful sounding, crashes from the other side of the vehicular barrier. As he continued on in a fairly leisurely manner to the eastern border, Serin became aware of a sharp pain in his sides. Confused, he glanced down to see Makoto's fingernails digging into his flesh at the unprotected joints of his armor. Turning his head back far enough that he could talk to her without taking his eyes off the road, he muttered loud enough for her to hear, "Sorry 'bout that," sounding anything but.  
  
Makoto nodded, and relaxed her grip, resolving to never again ride on a motorcycle with this guy. 'He's even worse than Haruka!' 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three  
  
A lone figure walked slowly into Neo-Queen Serenity's audience chamber, though it was that in name only now. He quickly and smoothly strode up to the throne, and kneeled before it, just barely managing to hide his true feelings. He consoled himself to be patient, that there would be time enough for that later.  
  
"Arise, Sephiroth, you may speak."  
  
Sephiroth slowly came to his feet, showing all the proper respect for a madman (or in this case, madwoman) on the throne. Without lifting his head, he began his report.  
  
"Your majesty, I've just received word that the last Guardian, Guardian Jupiter, has escaped our cordon. The last report puts her and an accomplice heading out of the city toward the former Atlantic Ocean."  
  
Serenity slammed a fist down on her throne, her face hardening in anger. "You failed me, Sephiroth. You promised that they would be unable to get out of the city, and yet, they have."  
  
Sephiroth risked a nonchalant shrug. "Well, I did the best I could, and it was your 'special' troops that went after them, in any case. By the time I arrived on the scene, they were long gone. However, I have taken the liberty of organizing an aerial search of the surrounding regions. Sooner or later, they'll have to take shelter, and when they do, my troops will take them."  
  
Serenity waved her hand, apparently unconcerned with the details. "Just bring me results, Sephiroth.or I'll have my warriors deal with you after they find our fugitives. And make sure that Jupiter is alive.not necessarily undamaged, but alive. As to her accomplice, I want him alive too.but I'll understand if that's not possible."  
  
Sephiroth's only reaction to that was a twitch in his eyebrow. He bowed deeply. "They will be found, my Queen." With that, he quickly excused himself from the room, and leaned against the door, sweating visibly.  
  
Things were going too fast. He had hoped for another week, maybe two, before Serenity started searching and rounding up the Guardians, but time had just run out. With all but one of them captured, Sephiroth's only recourse was...  
  
No. Time enough to think about that later. In the meantime, he had to keep up appearances as a loyal general of Crystal Tokyo. Shaking his head, he began the slow walk to his office, when an aide came up beside him and saluted smartly.  
  
Sighing, Sephiroth turned and arched an eyebrow.  
  
"General, we, ah.seem to be having a problem with the 'special prisoners'. One of them is getting really sick, and even though some of us thought that the Queen should know, I managed to hold them off until we heard what you had to say."  
  
Sephiroth showed no visible reaction, but his thoughts were in turmoil. One of the Guardians, sick? Who could it.?  
  
The answer occurred to him even as he thought it. Saturn. Saturn had always had exceptionally poor health, and in the damp air of the lower dungeon, her illness must really be giving her grief.  
  
Sephiroth turned and began walking to his office as he snapped off directions to his aide. "See that you stabilize her as best you can. Get the medics in there, and make sure that the others understand that we're trying to help them. I'll be along in five minutes."  
  
The lieutenant nodded and briskly walked away. Sephiroth entered his office briefly, long enough to grab his Masamune sword, and headed for the dungeons. Five minutes later, he glanced around, and demanded, "Where are the medics?"  
  
His aide stepped and stammered, "Th...they stated that Serenity gave them specific orders to not give any medical attention to the prisoners. She said if they died, then they died."  
  
The general cursed viciously, then let out a short breath. "All right. I'll take care of things. See that I'm not disturbed, and if I'm not out in ten minutes, then check in on me. Understood, lieutenant?"  
  
The aide saluted crisply, replying, "Sir, yes, SIR!"  
  
"Dismissed."  
  
As soon as the officer left, Sephiroth entered the Guardians' cell, and identified Saturn almost immediately, as his normally expressionless face filled with guilt. She was pale, much paler than Sephiroth had ever seen her, and was breathing in short, rasping gasps. It wasn't until he looked at her eyes, however, that his blood ran cold.  
  
He'd talked briefly to the Guardians before they had been cast out of the Crystal Palace, and had heard from them how Saturn constantly walked the line between light and darkness, and how if the darkness were to overtake her, she would lose control of her powers and quite simply destroy the world. It was that precise look that he was seeing in her eyes now. Sephiroth never did fully understand how he knew at that point, he simply 'knew'.  
  
Quickly, he knelt beside her, and began quickly checking vital signs. A deliberate cough from one of the Guardians went ignored, and he continued his cursory examination. Once done, he knew that there was only one thing to do, though it would leave him feeling like hell the next morning.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Sephiroth opened his mind, and used his limited telepathic abilities to examine the scope of damage to Saturn's body. He was shocked, upon 'waking up' to discover that it was not as serious as he first thought. The battle was mainly being fought in the brain area, and as an experienced general, Sephiroth knew that this was the only place the darkness needed to win.  
  
Stretching out even further, Sephiroth felt the ongoing clash between Saturn's good mind and the darkness. One look told him the sad story: the darkness far outweighed the light that she had left. Sephiroth frowned mentally for a moment, deciding how to take care of this development. Should he try to attack the darkness from behind, hoping to split its attention? Sephiroth rejected that thought almost immediately. While it might work, the odds were against it, and if Saturn went under while he was linked to her, then he was history too.  
  
The next thought that came to his mind, he mulled over for a brief moment. Unable to come up with a better solution, Sephiroth gently touched the light in Saturn's mind. Not knowing what to do, the light retreated a bit, which gave the darkness a greater advantage. Sephiroth cursed. Reaching out gently, he called to the light, saying, "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help. Let me help you, Saturn."  
  
The light shrank back from his attempts to help it, while the darkness, perhaps sensing the changing tides, stretched out a curious tendril to Sephiroth. Luckily, the warrior saw it coming, and violently batted it aside. Almost immediately, he wondered if that was the right thing to do.  
  
Roaring with a mental shockwave, the darkness came at Sephiroth full bore, pain and rage in its attacks. Sephiroth's strength had come as a surprise at first, but now that it knew what to prepare for, he couldn't do much more than stagger it. Desperately, Sephiroth tried to reach out for Saturn's light side again.and was surprised to note that it was merging with him, reinforcing his weakening mental shields, and adding more strength to his attacks. He was shocked for another reason as well.he knew all of Saturn's thoughts, and she his. Shaking off the amazement, even as thoughts from her past combined with his past, Sephiroth returned to the task of helping to regain control of Saturn's body. However, their combined power was only enough to keep the darkness from gaining more ground; Sephiroth could sense that Saturn's light half was holding back it's true power, almost as if it was afraid. Sephiroth encouraged it, bringing more and more of its strength.  
  
'You can do it, Saturn. Release the power you have within you. Do it for your friends, for me...'  
  
That did it. The light released a great flood of power that battered the darkness back with a strength that Sephiroth had never seen before. He guided it along, utilizing his expertise as a general to root out where it had hidden, and to counter all of its attempts to regain the offensive. Finally, after what seemed like a few minutes, the light engulfed the darkness, swallowing it whole, and released a mental explosion of energy.  
  
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Sephiroth broke the link, gasping and sweating as he collapsed. He felt, rather than saw, his troops swarming over him and the guardians asking questions. He could feel sleep attempting to drag him under, but he had to ask something very important first.  
  
Reaching out, he grabbed an arm, one that had no armor on it, and therefore must have belonged to a Guardian. Sephiroth managed to rasp out one word: "Saturn?"  
  
The Guardian said softly, "You.you did it."  
  
That was all Sephiroth needed before he fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
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Approximately 100 kilometers out from the city, Serin felt the engine start sputtering. Frowning, he listened closely, just in time to hear it sputter again, race, then die. The motorcycle then coasted along for another couple of meters before it came to a stop.  
  
Serin cursed silently, and hopped off to check the gas tank. One look inside confirmed his worst fears: empty.  
  
Makoto peered over his shoulder. "Out of gas, I take it?"  
  
Serin smirked sheepishly. "Whatdya think this thing is, a camel?" He chuckled slightly, then pulled off some supplies from a pouch on the side. "I know of a place not too far from here where we can get some help finding out where a Paladin warrior might be. We'll also be able to get some transportation. I thought I had enough gas to cover the distance, but."  
  
Makoto shrugged. "It's not your fault." A vaguely sad tone came into her voice. "It's not like we have any highways or roads anymore."  
  
Serin stopped unloading and turned to look at her. He usually saw the Guardians as upstanding, tough-as-nails super heroines who never let anything get to them. This was definitely a side of them (or at least Jupiter) that he never expected to see.  
  
Standing and walking over to her, he put one hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. She gasped slightly in surprise, and looked at him. "You don't need to worry, Makoto-san. We'll get to the bottom of this.I know we will. Whatever or whoever is doing all of this to Crystal Tokyo and your friends will pay."  
  
Makoto sniffed slightly, cursing herself for showing her weakness. "And if it's Serenity?"  
  
Serin shook his head. "I.don't know how I do.but I know that Serenity's not behind this.not at the root, at least."  
  
"So what are you saying? That she's being controlled somehow?" Makoto asked in confusion.  
  
Shaking his head, he answered, "I really don't know, Makoto-san.I just know that it's not her."  
  
Makoto smiled wanly at that, and gave him a hug. "Thanks, Serin. That really means a lot to me." She stepped back after a moment, and transformed to prepare for the threats out in the wastelands. Serin, for one, was grateful for this diversion, as he was blushing fiercely. Once she was ready and had a pack full of supplies, they took off.  
  
Serin quickly found out that Jupiter/Makoto was great company. She had a clever wit, laughed politely at his jokes, and he picked up more than a few signals that indicated she felt the same way about him. And that wasn't to mention her abilities in combat. Approximately an hour after leaving their transportation behind, they were attacked by several mud golems, which caught Serin by surprise. Jupiter, however, reacted quickly, zapping two with a Sparkling Wide Pressure attack, leaving the last two for Serin to deal with. After the battle, he eyed her with a new respect.  
  
'I wouldn't want to argue with her during our marriage.' Blinking, he shook his head briefly, wondering how in the world he came up with THAT thought. Still, though he didn't dwell too long on the thought of them.together, he couldn't shake this feeling that he knew her better than he thought he did.almost as if it was a feeling of deja vu...  
  
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Sephiroth slowly swam back to consciousness, his head dully throbbing in a rhythmic pattern. He groaned softly as his surroundings (at least, the ceiling) came into focus, knowing that he had used his telepathic powers not too long ago.  
  
'But when, I.' Suddenly, the events of the last twelve hours came back in a rush, and he sat upright.  
  
Big mistake! BIG MISTAKE!!!  
  
His head was instantly assaulted by a sledgehammer, which threatened to cave his skull in at a moment's notice. Gritting his teeth, he slowly swung his feet out of bed, pleased to note that he was still in his uniform, and cautiously stood up.  
  
Satisfied that the pounding wouldn't get any worse, and assured that he could stand and walk without falling flat on his face, he strode to the door, grabbed Masamune, which was leaning against the wall nearby, and stepped out into the hall. He walked straight to the dungeon, as he was anxious to see how Saturn and the others were faring. After giving the guard his best icy glare (seeing as how he was one of Serenity's 'specials'), he entered their cell.  
  
He instantly felt the tension in the room, and took in everybody's position, hoping that they would not attack him without at least hearing what he had to say. But as soon as they realized who it was, everyone relaxed.though only slightly. He nodded briefly to everyone, keeping silent for now, and glanced at the group, hoping to spot Saturn. Failing to find her, he raised his eyebrows.  
  
The tall, blonde, masculine Senshi (Uranus, he recalled) stepped in front of him, and frowned slightly.not enough to show that she thought of him as an enemy, but rather to show that she still didn't trust him. She tilted her head and asked bluntly, "What do you want?"  
  
Sephiroth smirked slightly, which unnerved Uranus a bit, before replying, "Why, I'm interested in checking up on my patient. Is that so wrong?"  
  
Mars stepped up beside her, and also gave him a frown. "Look, Sephiroth, you may have helped Saturn out with conquering the darkness inside of her, but that doesn't mean you're welcome to come and chat with her anytime you please." She folded her arms over her chest, somehow able to appear menacing even in gray prison clothes.  
  
Sephiroth gave her an amused smile. "What a delightfully suspicious mind you have there, Guardian Mars. Here I am, a person who extended a helping hand when you needed it, and you refuse me entry even though I merely wish to see how she is?" He chuckled, thoroughly interested in the by-play.  
  
Mars glared at him, until a voice came from behind her, gently pushing her out of the way. "I'm fine, Sephiroth, really."  
  
Sephiroth watched as a young woman, several years behind the others, stepped out in front, despite the protests of her friends. He walked up to her, and clinically peered into her eyes, pleased to note that the darkness had indeed been driven from her. He nodded, then smiled at her.  
  
"I'm glad that you're all right, Saturn. You had me very worried."  
  
She gave him a knowing smile, and winked. "I kinda figured that."  
  
Sephiroth blushed. 'So much for hoping she didn't catch that.'  
  
Looking back up at the others, he stated, "Alright, as I doubt that Serenity has been feeding you regular newscasts, I think it only fair to update you on what's going on with your comrade. You might know by now that she escaped from the city last night." He paused as a series of sighs of relief sounded. Smiling, he continued, "You may not know, however, that it was with the help of a former military commander that she was able to escape at all."  
  
This brought the expected response, though it generally ranged from, "Who is it?" to "What is she, NUTS?" Seph waited for the shouting to die down before he continued, "To answer one of your questions, his name is Serin," and he noted out of the corner of his eye that Luna abruptly stiffened at the mention of his name. Continuing, he added, "Though I was hoping for a delayed reaction, Serenity has given me permission to conduct an air search. However," and he made sure that no one was about to butt in with a comment, "I have an idea where he's heading, and I will make sure that I personally search along that vector."  
  
A pause followed, which ended with Saturn piping up, "What will you do when you find them?"  
  
Seph smirked, then told them. The reaction was delayed, but the general consensus was that he was a spy trying to stop their last hope.save for Saturn, who knew the truth. She looked at him with a penetrating gaze that he returned, and smiled. Cutting in on the arguments, she spoke up, "Look, everyone, I know and understand your reservations, but.he's not lying."  
  
Neptune glanced back and forth between Sephiroth and Saturn, and asked cautiously, "Saturn, are you.?"  
  
Saturn shook her head. "No, I just know that he's telling the truth. He wants to make things right again."  
  
The others coolly regarded him for a moment, which he endured briefly before Saturn spoke up again. "I'm serious, he's telling us the truth, guys."  
  
Luna, who had been trapped in a cage this whole time with Artemis, spoke up for t  
  
"Did I hear him right, Artemis?"  
  
Artemis nodded slowly, his features extremely thoughtful. "I never would have believed that he had survived.if only Serenity hadn't changed, she might have been overjoyed at the news..."  
  
Luna cautioned, "Now, just a minute, Artemis, it might not be him."  
  
"But what if it is, Luna? This could be the answer to our prayers. If anyone has a chance against Serenity, he will."  
  
Luna cocked her head slightly, as she raised a feline eyebrow. "What about the Paladin, then?"  
  
Artemis shook his head furiously. "That's just it, Luna: Serin most likely IS the Paladin!"  
  
Abruptly, both advisors noticed that there was complete silence in the cell, and when they turned to look, every one of their charges were staring at them with varying degrees of amazement. Venus was the first to recover.  
  
"Check me on this, Artemis: you said that the Paladin's location was not written down, right?" she queried.  
  
Artemis had the good sense to look sheepish at that. "Actually, I never said anything about where he would be found. We were rudely interrupted before I could get to that point."  
  
The girls nodded thoughtfully in tandem at that, then Mars spoke up: "So why are they escaping? If Serin is the Paladin, why doesn't he just face Serenity now?"  
  
The others echoed her thoughts, until Artemis cleared his throat as a signal for them to stop so he could speak. When they had quieted down, he stated, "It could be for the same reason you didn't just stand up and fight the Negaverse from the word 'go'.you didn't know that you were the Senshi of the Moon Kingdom. By the same token, Serin might not know that he's the Paladin of legend."  
  
Everyone remained silent for a moment, when Uranus piped up, half- jokingly, "So what does he need, a henshin stick, or something?"  
  
The others enjoyed a good chuckle over that before Artemis got back to the point. "Actually, it's 'or something'. But." he lowered his head, "I don't know what that something is."  
  
Everyone was left with their thoughts on that, unaware that Sephiroth had not gone far, and was listening intently on their conversation from around the corner. His eyebrows rose in amazement, he covered his shock as best he could, and hurriedly walked out, careful to stay silent as he left. But unknown to him and the Scouts, a miniature cam-bug had recorded the entire conversation, and was even now playing it for Serenity. She calmly stroked her chin with one fingernail, idly pondering this new development.  
  
There was really only one thing to do, of course. Raising her hand to a stretch of ground, she whispered, "Milon, stand before me."  
  
Seconds later, a robed and hooded figure stood in front of her. His voice was booming and arrogant as he stated simply, "Milon, the Fiend of Earth, at your command, my queen."  
  
"Milon, I want you to follow Sephiroth as he conducts his aerial search tomorrow. You are to tail him without being seen. When he finds Serin, try to find a way to get him alone.and then kill him. Do you understand?"  
  
Milon nodded, then posed a question. "Your majesty, is this Serin the next.?"  
  
Serenity nodded, and had she been able to see the fiend's face, she would have seen great anticipation and joy in his countenance. "I hear and obey with pleasure, Neo-Queen Serenity. With much pleasure indeed." 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four  
  
Approximately four days out from the point where their transportation had quit, Serin was getting worried, and Jupiter was getting irritated.  
  
'Just like a man to fail to bring a map along,' she thought nastily. 'Just when I think that I've found the perfect guy, he pulls some stupid stunt like this. For all I know, we could die out here in these Moon- forsaken wastelands.'  
  
Makoto's reverie was brought short by Serin sighing in annoyance, then shaking his head as he wearily put down his pack. "I don't see anything yet, so we might as well pitch camp."  
  
Makoto gave a noncommittal grunt, then set her pack down as well, rummaging through for some food. With a sinking heart, she noted that they were down to a single can of rations, and one canteen of water. When she pointed this out to Serin, he shrugged.  
  
"Go ahead and take the food, Mako-san. We can worry about the water later." So saying, he pulled out his broadsword, and began doing an energetic, yet complex kata.  
  
Makoto idly picked at the food, not feeling quite right at eating while he starved. She glanced up at him, but knew that if she offered it, he'd give some lame excuse like, 'I don't need that much food,' or 'You're more important to Crystal Tokyo's survival,' or some other nonsense. She had long since grown tired of fighting with him. Rarely had she met someone so stubborn.  
  
'Unless you count Rei,' and Makoto had to giggle at that. In a lot of ways, Serin did in fact remind her of her comrade.and she was filled with a new flood of concern for her friends, hoping against hope that they were all right. Moments later, her hunger hit her full force, and she literally devoured her food. After a brief talk with Serin (mostly along the lines of, 'Are you sure it's this way?' 'Yes, I'm positive.'), she wrapped the cloak that she'd brought along around her, and dozed off.  
  
What couldn't have been more than a few minutes later, she woke up to her body feeling like it was in a freezer. She felt and heard the wind as it whipped around her, dragging its icy fingers across her body. She shivered, and tried to wrap the cloak around her tighter, when she noticed something else draping across her: a heavy blanket, made for nights like this back before the Cataclysm. She blinked, then stiffened as she felt someone slip under the blanket with her, forgetting that she and Serin were the only ones around. She rolled over in an instant to see who it was, and ended up planting her lips full on Serin's.  
  
For a moment, neither of them moved, both just enjoying this simple kiss, before they reluctantly broke it off at the same time. Serin looked back at her with the same expression of shock that Makoto knew she was wearing.  
  
"Ah.Mako-chan, I." Serin mumbled, then blushed a crimson red.  
  
"Serin-kun." Makoto whispered, and reached out underneath the blanket to wrap her arms around him, cuddling up close to him. Nervously, he wrapped his arms around her, and for the first time since Serenity's 'change', Makoto felt truly safe. She looked up at Serin, not at all surprised to see him gazing down at her, a smile on his face. She returned the smile, then got an impish grin on her face as she kissed him again. This time, Serin returned it eagerly, and smiled through the kiss, as he tickled Makoto in her ribs.  
  
To his delight, she squealed, and tried to bat his hands away. They were instantly reminded of why they were so close when a blast of cold air found its way into a hole in their covering, and they quickly moved back together, the blanket wrapped tightly around them. With a beatific smile on her face, Makoto fell asleep instantly.  
  
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Makoto woke to feel a sharp nudge in her ribs. The pain alone was enough to get her attention, but when the nudge returned, she jerked upright with a look of anger on her face.and then blinked in astonishment.  
  
While they had been sleeping, a group of warriors dressed in a ragtag assortment of scavenged armor had surrounded them, and were now rummaging through their supplies. Makoto reached down into her pants pocket, relieved to find that her henshin stick was still on her. She briefly considered transforming, but decided against it. Whoever these guys were, they wouldn't be too impressed at seeing a Guardian of Crystal Tokyo, especially considering that if push came to shove, she really didn't want to use her powers against humans.  
  
As she slowly came to her feet, she saw Serin getting into a loud argument with who was apparently the party's leader, due to his headdress. Serin shouted loudly at the leader, who appeared to be unimpressed. Almost as an afterthought, Makoto was shocked to see that the party leader was wearing Serin's sword.  
  
"Do you speaka English?" Serin shouted slowly, unnecessarily enunciating each word. "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?" he added, pointing to it for more emphasis. The leader smirked, barked some orders to his men (Makoto wasn't surprised to find out that it was indeed a language she had never heard), and one of the men behind him moved forward, indicating with his spear point for Serin to step aside. Serin blinked, looked at the spear point, then looked back up at the men with an expression of barely controlled annoyance. Grabbing the point, he shoved it aside, stating, "Point that thing somewhere else, baka."  
  
The leader blinked, then stepped forward on his own, and shoved Serin aside. He, of course, took great exception to this, and reached out, grabbed the chief's arm, and gave a sharp twist. The resulting 'crack' was hard to miss.  
  
Almost instantly, the chief screamed, and shouted some more commands, still in that weird language. Two of the burliest members of the group stepped forward, and Serin casually rammed his foot into one's knee, taking him down, before the other hit Serin from behind, staggering him.  
  
Makoto just acted, at that point. Picking up a rock, she hefted it, got a good bead on her target, and let fly. The stone sailed through the air, and connected with a solid 'thunk' against the brute's skull, sending him crashing to the ground. This, however, did nothing for Serin, who was now underneath a pile of about four more warriors who were doing their best to restrain him.  
  
Makoto ran toward her companion to help, but before she could get two steps, a hand suddenly closed on her wrist. Using her momentum as leverage, she slid underneath her captor, and yanked hard, forcing him into a type of forward somersault. The technique had its desired effect, and he lost his grip. Makoto then found her way blocked by two more warriors, and suddenly she was tired of games. She smiled disarmingly at them, then kicked one, two in the groin. Instantly they went down, but before she could go any further, she felt a sharp bite in her neck. Reaching back, she pulled out a tranquilizer dart, and had just enough consciousness left to realize what that meant before she let the darkness take her under.  
  
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".She alright?"  
  
".Feel like hell."  
  
".at's all, relax."  
  
".Up, Mako-chan, wake."  
  
"Mako-chan, can you hear me? Wake up."  
  
Makoto blinked as she slowly opened her eyes then quickly shut them again.  
  
"Ngh.did some psycho hit me with a baseball bat after I went down?" she asked, as she grabbed her head, trying without success to massage some relief into it.  
  
Unseen by her, Serin shook his head. "Nah. Near as I can tell, that's the aftereffect of the drug they used to knock us out."  
  
Makoto slowly sat up, holding her head in both hands, half-afraid that it would fall off otherwise. "Where are we, anyway?"  
  
A new voice piped up. "As near as I can tell, we're in a mountain complex. It was probably a network of mines before these people converted it."  
  
Makoto glanced around the room in confusion, before she realized that she and Serin were the only ones in the cell. Glancing at her companion, she asked, "Who said that?"  
  
Serin jerked his head behind him, at a blank expanse of wall. "The guy next door. He says they brought him in about five minutes before we woke up. I think he's full of it, because he didn't get tranqed, too."  
  
The new voice replied, "If you had gone along quietly with them, they wouldn't have tranqed you, either." The voice turned sheepish, at this point. "Of course, I didn't have much choice, seeing as how they caught me with my guard down."  
  
Makoto's eyes narrowed, and she walked over to the wall. "I've heard your voice before. Who are you?"  
  
"Ah, Guardian Jupiter. I thought that was you. I trust other than this.'mishap', everything is well?"  
  
Serin blinked, then spoke up. "Guardian? You must be mistaken, she's no Guardian."  
  
There was no mistaking the amusement in the man's voice now. "Oh, you don't have to play innocent with me. We're all on the same side here.Serin."  
  
Serin recoiled in shock, and traded looks with Makoto. 'How the hell did he know my name?!?' "Who are you?"  
  
"Well, I don't see how it could hurt.my name is Sephiroth."  
  
Makoto nodded slowly, her lips pursed. "I knew I'd heard your voice before. What brings you out here? Did Serenity send you out here?"  
  
A faint whisper of movement implied a shrug. "She did, and she didn't. Though she doubtlessly expects me to destroy you when I find you, that's not my goal."  
  
Serin leaned against the bars of their cell, and looked over in the direction that Sephiroth's voice came from. "Oh, really? Then what is your goal?"  
  
A faint sigh accompanied Sephiroth's next statement. "I want to help you. I want to stop Serenity from destroying this world."  
  
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Before Serin or Makoto could say anything in response to that statement, their door opened, and two guards entered, both with small sidearms leveled at them. One barked an order, and a third stepped in with two pairs of ancient handcuffs. He began stepping towards Serin with them.  
  
Serin, of course, backed up, shaking his head. "No way, pal. You may get those on me, but you'll pay a hefty price for it."  
  
The third turned to the others, and appeared to ask a question. The answer he got seemed to satisfy him and both guards turned their guns on Makoto.  
  
"Serin, they said that if you resist, the girl dies," Sephiroth piped up.  
  
Surprised, he called back; "You can understand them?"  
  
"Certainly. It was part of my studies, to learn as many languages as I could. Though I could be mistaken on some words, since they appear to have an accent I've never encountered, that statement was 100% on the mark, I believe."  
  
Serin gritted his teeth at that. "I'd say so, since they just started pointing their guns at Mako-chan." Slumping his shoulders in a posture of defeat, he turned to look at Makoto with an apologetic expression. He was surprised to see her smirk and wink at him in return, but any questions were erased from his mind as the lone warrior applied the handcuffs to Serin's wrists. Within moments, he placed the remaining pair on Makoto's wrists, and shoved the two towards the door. The first two guards calmly kept their weapons pointed at their prisoners, and the cool look in their eyes assured Serin that they would have no problem shooting if they had to. Stepping through the door, he was surprised to see that a third prisoner was joining them.  
  
"Long time, no see, Sephiroth," Serin remarked coolly. The general smirked in response.  
  
"Indeed. I'm glad that the two of you are alive and well, however."  
  
Makoto stepped beside them, sticking close to Serin as their group, guards and all, began to move. "Sephiroth, what's going on?"  
  
The warrior's expression changed to a grimace as he inhaled deeply. "From what I gather, they are taking us to their leader's court for judgment. He will determine whether we are guilty of crimes against the Desert Fox clan."  
  
Serin's shoulders slumped upon hearing those words. "And without being able to speak in our defense, we're history."  
  
Sephiroth shook his head. "Nonsense. I'll speak for the two of you as well as myself."  
  
"Why?" Makoto asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "How do we know you won't just blame everything on us, leaving you to get off scot- free?"  
  
"Trust me," was his simple reply. His eyes lit up, as he returned his attention to her. "Oh, one other thing: your friends are all right for the moment."  
  
"'For the moment'? What do you mean?" Makoto demanded.  
  
"I don't know all the details, but apparently Serenity is saving them for some sort of ceremony to be held in about ten days. She also wants you to be captured by then, so until you are in her custody, and ten days have elapsed, your friends are fine," Sephiroth stated.  
  
Makoto turned her gaze to the floor. "Ten days.and who knows how long it will be before we get out of here."  
  
Before anything more could be said between the trio, they had suddenly arrived in the court.  
  
Serin was amazed at the sheer size of everything, and spent a brief moment studying his new surroundings in awe. He remembered in one of his history classes a series of mentions about the Coliseum, and figured that if it were underground, this would be a dead ringer for it. It also seemed to be filled to capacity, since the seats were filled all the way back and up to the ceiling. Each individual began booing and hissing as soon as Serin and his two companions became visible, and the guards shoved them forward to stand before what appeared to be an open-air press box. Sephiroth was the first to look up and see an old man stand and calmly gaze down at them, with his eyes blazing with righteous fury.  
  
Raising his arm, the people present instantly quieted, and he slowly, passionately, began making a speech. The others listened quietly at first, and when the elder pounded a fist on the railing, his listeners leapt to their feet, and roared with obvious approval. Serin turned to Sephiroth just in time to hear Makoto ask him, "Did you understand that?"  
  
Sephiroth shook his head. "Not good. We are now to undergo a 'trial by combat', in which we fight their champion one-on-one in a fight to the death. And from his apparent confidence." and at this, Sephiroth bit his lower lip, "I'd say our chances just went south real fast."  
  
Behind him, Serin and the others heard a door open noisily on rusty hinges. All three turned to look in that direction, just in time to see a young, powerfully built man, clad in a blue gi, step into the coliseum, to the roars and cheers of those present. He smiled to the people, waved briefly, and then turned a stern countenance to the prisoners. Raising one finger, he immediately pointed at Serin and beckoned him forward.  
  
Serin glanced back at his friends, only to find that the guards had already herded them off to the side. Looking down at his binders, he shouted at his opponent: "Nice, fair fight! Whatdya expect me to do with these on, huh?"  
  
The young warrior tilted his head, then stepped forward, and ripped the handcuffs off of Serin's wrists without so much as a flicker of pain or effort. This reinforced one critical point in Serin's mind: he and his companions were in a real SNAFU.  
  
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It took all of Makoto's strength of will not to fight back against the guards as they pulled her and Sephiroth to the side for the first trial to begin. As they watched Serin ease into a combat stance, she whispered to Sephiroth, "I've got my henshin pen in my pants pocket. Should I use it now?"  
  
Sephiroth shook his head. "No, not yet. The time for that will come soon enough."  
  
A roar of approval cut her off before she could ask Sephiroth what he meant, and she turned back to the arena to see Serin get dealt a heavy blow to the gut which sent him sailing back about ten feet. Though he managed to roll with the blow, as he struggled to his feet, it was obvious that he had been seriously hurt.  
  
Turning back to Sephiroth, Makoto was about to demand an explanation why she couldn't transform now, only to find him staring intently at a section of the bleachers. Following his gaze, she noticed a rather large cloaked and hooded figure following the whole proceedings intently. As she watched, it placed one hand on the railing, revealing its skin to be.  
  
"Dirt?" Makoto was dumbfounded. She caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye, and saw that Serin had managed to get several good licks in on his 'prosecutor'. This, however, only served to anger his opponent, as he roared with rage, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks that Serin could not even hope to block. Before long, Serin was catapulted through the air, and crashed just underneath the balcony. Struggling to get to his feet, he winced in pain and grabbed his side.  
  
'Damn, I think that last hit broke a few of my ribs.' he thought. He was about to prepare himself to go down in a blaze of glory, when a loud 'CRASH' sounded from the other end of the arena. Serin vaguely noticed that both he and his opponent were looking in that direction, just in time to see a monstrosity lumber into the arena.  
  
Hunched over on four legs (or two legs and arms, however you wanna look at it), the figure was absolutely HUGE. It had approximately four tentacles waving about, and a face that was rotting and grinning like that of a scarecrow. Moreover, if Serin didn't know better, he'd swear that its skin was.dirt?  
  
This barely registered in his mind as the dirt-monster raced forward towards him, crushing several people desperately trying to get out of its way. Serin grabbed the other warrior and leapt aside, wincing again in fresh pain as his ribs groaned in protest then, and once more on the landing. From behind him, he heard the creature slam into the arena wall again, causing several of the upper structures to fall, including the balcony. Gasping in horror, Serin saw that the old man from before and a woman were still in there, as it began to fall. Jumping to his feet, Serin failed to take two steps before he doubled over in pain as his ribs duly reminded him that he was not going anywhere. Glancing up, he saw a black and silver streak arrow through the air, neatly grabbing the couple and depositing them a safe distance away from the rampaging monster. The couple, not surprisingly, took this opportunity to run.  
  
At this point, the creature managed to back out of the rubble, and turned to regard his new target. Grinning even wider, he rasped, "Well, Sephiroth, it seems that I'll have to clean up the mess you made, now doesn't it?"  
  
Sephiroth frowned, somehow appearing menacing even without his Masamune. "The only mess that will need cleaning up is your body off of the ground, Milon. Tell Serenity that we will stop her from this course of madness."  
  
Milon laughed at that. "Oh, really? Well, what are you going to do when you're dead, eh?"  
  
A blur of movement saved Sephiroth from having to respond, but the end result was undeniable: his Masamune sword was now in his hand. Slowly grinning at the Earth Fiend, Seph beckoned him forward. "You want to find out? Come, then!"  
  
Milon was dumbfounded. How in Lunaria had this fool gotten his weapon back? So intent was he on figuring out that question that the words, "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" didn't register until he was rocked back on his heels by a discus made entirely of lightning. Turning in rage, he was naturally shocked to discover that Guardian Jupiter had transformed.  
  
'BLAST these simpleton barbarians!' Milon thought to himself furiously. 'I should have known that they wouldn't be able to search someone efficiently!'  
  
Behind him, Serin regarded this turn of events with a sort of awe. Glancing around for a weapon of his own, his search was cut short by the gladiator from before standing before him, holding out two items to him. One was his broadsword, which had been taken earlier by the scout party he and Makoto were captured by. The other was of little importance to Serin (a glass vial with a bluish liquid inside), so he ignored it. Grabbing his sword, Serin dropped into a combat stance, only to be assaulted anew by a wave of gut-wrenching soreness. Moaning softly, he tried to stay upright, and found it easier than expected. Dimly, through the haze of pain, he saw his former opponent pouring the contents of the vial into his mouth, as he could do little in protest.  
  
.And suddenly, the haze cleared. Serin jerked fully upright, and twisted his body around, noting that his ribs felt fully healed, too. Turning his attention to the warrior, he nodded his thanks, then started to head off and join his comrades when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning back, Serin saw the warrior gesture at each of his companions, then to himself, and finally drew a line across his throat after pointing at Milon. Serin glanced back and forth between the martial artist and the Fiend, then asked; "You want a piece of him, too?"  
  
The man nodded, a predatory grin crossing his face.  
  
Serin grinned in reply, then stated, "You're welcome to him, but it might help if we had a name to go with your face, donchya think?"  
  
The man slowly nodded, then spoke one word: "Ryuhi."  
  
Serin stuck out one hand, and hesitantly, as if unsure what to do with it, Ryuhi took it, the pair shaking on their newly forged bond. Readying himself again for battle, Serin grinned at Milon, and whispered words too faint for the Earth Fiend to hear: "Time to kick some ass, and to hell with taking names." 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five  
  
Jupiter charged up another Sparkling Wide Pressure attack for a renewed assault on Milon, when she saw with dawning horror that it was preparing to swing its four tentacles, twisted together into one thick 'club', down on her. In the middle of her attack sequence, there was little she could do as it dropped to the ground with her underneath.  
  
Just before the attack connected with a deafening 'CRASH!' a green and gray blur shoved her aside with a football tackle, causing her to roll along the ground with said protector. Once they stopped, Serin was on top with a grin on his face, but concern evident in his eyes.  
  
"Miss me, Mako-chan?"  
  
Under normal circumstances, she would have laughed, blushed, or even enjoyed the intimate position they were in. Now, however, she merely spared a quick, "Very much. Are you going to get off now, or are you just getting started?"  
  
Blushing, the warrior clambered off and got to his feet as the Senshi did the same, just in time to see Ryuhi slide into his combat stance with his feet spaced about shoulder-width apart, and his fists clenched at his waist. He growled loudly as his entire body tensed, forming an aura of red chi energy around him. Two minutes passed, during which no one, not even Milon, even twitched, totally enthralled by this sight. At the end of that time, Ryuhi shouted out, "KAIO-KEN!" and jumped toward his opponent.  
  
Though visual reports are non-existent, Serin and the others swear that the only thing they saw was a red blur impacting Milon in several areas before Ryuhi appeared in his original spot, breathing heavily and sweating. Milon, by the same token, was also showing signs of injury, having several fist shaped craters in his skin, along with one of his tentacles being snapped in two. The Fiend eyed his injuries momentarily, then turned with a furious gaze at the martial artist, and lashed out with a fist, intent on making the upstart a red smear on the ground.  
  
Ryuhi, however, easily saw it coming, and hopped away, almost idly, as Milon's fist crashed into the ground. Before he could withdraw it for another attack, several beams of light surrounded him, quickly replaced by a pillar of rock and earth, which nearly crushed him under its intense weight and pressure.  
  
Quickly becoming fed up with the antics of his enemies, Milon tensed his appendages into spear-like projectiles, and began utilizing them as such, lashing out with almost unimaginable speed. Serin, Jupiter, and Ryuhi were only barely able to avoid injury from the attacks.  
  
Sephiroth wasn't so lucky, as the Earth Fiend buried the tip of his tentacle into the warrior's thigh. With little more than a grunt of pain, Sephiroth neatly chopped off the intruding appendage. Staggering back, he cast Quake 3 again, which weakened Milon even further. Unfortunately, all could see that he still had plenty of fight left in him.  
  
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Serin got ready for an attempt to bury his sword into the creature's face and end this whole battle, but the Fiend's remaining tentacles frustratingly kept him back. Glancing over at the others, he noted with some surprise that Ryuhi was gesturing him over for a private discussion. Looking back up at Milon briefly, he stepped back as Jupiter fired another Sparkling Wide Pressure at the creature, while Sephiroth took the brief opportunity to heal himself.  
  
Coming up beside the martial artist, Serin stated without preamble, "What is it?"  
  
Ryuhi replied in a near deadpan voice, "I need the three of you to keep him off me for a moment."  
  
Serin was confused, and said as much. "Like we haven't been doing that already. Besides, you seem to have handled the avoidance factor real well."  
  
His comrade shook his head. "No, this will be tougher. I'm going to charge up for one of my secret techniques, and I won't be able to dodge any of his attacks in the meantime."  
  
Serin pursed his lips in thought and turned back just in time to see their opponent use his tentacles to sweep Sephiroth straight into a wall. Though the former general left a sizable dent in the barrier, he still managed to make it to his feet, though his movements suggested great pain. Sailor Jupiter hobbled over to his side, and the way she held her side, Serin knew that her ribs were at least cracked, if not broken altogether. That settled the matter for him.  
  
Turning back to Ryuhi, he demanded, "You sure this attack of yours is going to work? That it will finish him off?"  
  
Ryuhi simply nodded.  
  
Serin returned the gesture, and said, "You got it. Just hurry it up, okay? We can't hold out forever." And with that, he turned and leapt at his enemy in a mid-air charge.  
  
Ryuhi planted his feet about shoulder-width apart, and simultaneously attempted to relax and tense his muscles as he felt the earth's chi flow into him. As his body absorbed more of it's power, he raised his hands to the heavens, and saw little blue dots converging on his palms.  
  
In the meantime, Serin's initial charge had been met with a casual brush-off with Milon's hand. Fortunately, he only met the edge of the attack, and quickly regained his balance enough to slice open the Earth Fiend's palm.  
  
Milon, of course, took great exception to this, and buried his hands into the dirt, only to have them come under the swordsman's feet.except that they were much bigger - big enough to crush him if they closed, which was exactly what they were doing now.  
  
Ryuhi, at this point, lowered his hands, keeping one at about eye level as he slowly clenched it into a fist. As he did so, it seemed to erupt into blue 'chi flames'. Straining to focus, the flames abruptly disappeared, and a basketball-sized sphere of chi took its place. Turning his gaze to the Earth Fiend, who was just now bringing his hands up out of the earth after failing to kill Serin, he grinned wickedly.  
  
"SERIN, JUPITER SEPHIROTH! FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Ryuhi shouted, hoping they'd know the meaning of the old 20th century saying. Without even sparing them a second glance, he lobbed the sphere at Milon with a roar, overbalancing a bit on his follow-through, and dropping to the ground.  
  
The attack connected with the Earth Fiend's body directly, exploding into a maelstrom of chi that roared around the four fighters. Sometimes they thought they would never live through the 'explosion'.and other times they were almost afraid to.  
  
When the energy backlash had dissipated, and they dared to look, their enemy was nowhere to be seen. 


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six  
  
Ryuhi slowly climbed to his feet, a slight smile on his face. At least the threat was gone. It was indeed a shame about the coliseum being in a shambles, but he and the Council could live with that. What mattered was that they could continue living here.  
  
Turning his gaze over to his comrades, he speculatively regarded them as they made their way to him, the one called Sephiroth holding a makeshift pad against his thigh with one hand, while holding his sword in the other, and the Guardian Jupiter and Serin supporting each other.  
  
'A powerful warrior, a Guardian of Crystal Tokyo, and a swordsman.with something more.' Though Ryuhi couldn't quite put his finger on it, he had the feeling that there was something more to Serin than one saw at first glance. He inwardly shrugged.time enough to find out what it is later.  
  
When they stopped in front of him, Serin pointed his finger at Ryuhi, and with a grin on his face, said, "Ya know, you didn't have to take out the entire mountain with him. Just killing the creep himself would have been fine."  
  
Ryuhi smirked again, then nodded. "I will keep that in mind." Turning his gaze to look over their shoulders, he abruptly frowned as he saw the Council Elders approaching with several armed guards beyond their normal complement of bodyguards.  
  
As they approached, Japhtha, the senior member, pointed to Ryuhi's comrades. Arrest them, and prepare them for immediate execution! he said.  
  
Ryuhi stepped in front of the guards, and held up a hand. Knowing his authority, they stopped uncertainly. Turning to the Council, he asked, What the hell are you doing?! These people saved the lives of many in our clan, and yet you are calling for their heads? Why?   
  
Toldra, one of the other Council members, frowned. They have doomed, not saved, us, Ryuhi. You had best remember your place. They have killed one of Neo-Queen Serenity's new warriors! If we show her their heads, perhaps she will spare us. Gesturing the guards forward, they again moved to take custody of the outsiders.  
  
Ryuhi snapped, Stay where you are! The mere authoritative tone in his voice stopped the guards, and they blinked, wavering again. Turning his attention back to the Council, he reasoned, Elders, we know through our intelligence network that Serenity is saving the Guardians for some special purpose. Even if it is to kill them herself, do you think she will spare you for killing her on your own accord?   
  
The Council members turned uneasily to each other, and muttered. A sharp tap from behind him went ignored, and he stepped forward to avoid having to look at his comrades' faces. Finally, the councilmen finished their deliberations.  
  
Japhtha nodded in agreement with Ryuhi's statement and declared, It shall be so. The guards will take Guardian Jupiter away for transportation to Neo-Queen Serenity, while the other two will be executed. We leave their fate in your hands, Ryuhi.   
  
Ryuhi bowed in his most subservient manner to the Council. I will not disappoint you, Honored Elders.   
  
As one, they nodded, and stepped back, while the guards resumed their binding of the outsiders, unimpeded, as well as the confiscation of their weapons. Though Serin and Sephiroth put up an initial struggle, they were far too weakened to do much more than delay the moment when they were finally handcuffed. As the binders finally snapped shut on their wrists, both men turned hate-filled gazes on their host, which he studiously showed no reaction to.  
  
Once all preparations were complete, Ryuhi indicated for the guards to follow him, and then started walking. When he heard a scuffle behind him, the martial artist turned to look, and saw that Serin had broken free of his captors and was heading toward Jupiter. As her guards moved to intercept, Ryuhi raised a hand and shook his head, and they stood down.  
  
Stepping up to Jupiter, Serin leaned in close, whispered something in her ear, kissed her as passionately as he could with binders on, and then turned abruptly away. Behind him, the guardian had barely controlled tears in her eyes as she called out to him, "Serin!"  
  
The swordsman turned to face her, his expression not much better than hers, though he still carried a bit of defiance in him as the guards resumed their positions at his sides.  
  
Showing a bit of the shyness that she hadn't felt in a long time, she whispered, "I love you, too."  
  
Serin nodded, smiled sadly, and then was roughly escorted out of the ruined coliseum. Holding back her tears, Jupiter took heart from Serin's last expression, and stood tall and defiant as she, too, was escorted out of the ruined arena. No matter what, she swore to herself that she would, at the very least, emulate him in his last moments.  
  
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Walking in front with the guards positioned on both sides of each prisoner, Ryuhi began giving cursory examinations of every bulkhead they passed, noting the positions of his clan's setup of security cameras and motion sensors. As they rounded one particular corner, Ryuhi suddenly stopped, and surprise registered on his face.  
  
What the hell do you think you're doing? he shouted.  
  
The guards raced up to see what was going on, and were also surprised.though it was mainly because there was no one in the corridor. Questions had just begun to form in their minds when the darkness suddenly reached up to pull them down.  
  
Both Serin and Sephiroth had been planning to find a way back to Jupiter for a rescue operation, when they suddenly heard several grunts of pain from around the corner. Confusion raced through their minds as they debated going up to see what was going on, and taking advantage of this distraction. Just as they had decided on the latter, Ryuhi came back around the corner, alone, with their weapons. Propping them up against a wall, he placed one hand on each pair of cuffs, and they vaporized at his touch, though both fighters felt a tingle of energy run through their arms. Wordlessly, he then handed them their weapons, then gestured for them to follow him.  
  
He took two steps in the indicated direction when he noticed that neither one of them was following him. Turning, Ryuhi saw Sephiroth standing in his original spot, and Serin was on his way back the way they'd come. Running up to the latter warrior, he stepped in front.  
  
"Where are you going?" he asked.  
  
Serin simply stated, "I'm going back to get Jupiter free."  
  
Ryuhi shook his head. "We don't have time to get her. It'll be two, three minutes tops before security teams figure out what we're up to." At this, the martial artist let his sentence trail off for the simple reason that Serin now had his sword out and had placed the tip at his obstacle's throat.  
  
Serin's voice was cold, and invited no debate. "I'm going back for Mako-chan. Try to stop me and I will kill you." So saying, he abruptly sheathed the sword, and resumed walking down the corridor.  
  
Ryuhi looked at Sephiroth with pleading eyes, only to get a simple shrug.  
  
"Sorry. I happen to agree with him. Besides, I don't much trust you after that stunt you pulled in the coliseum." And with that, the general began purposely following Serin down the corridor.  
  
For approximately half a minute, Ryuhi looked back and forth between their possible escape route, and the way his comrades had gone. Snarling a vicious curse, he turned and headed off to see what he could do about keeping the fools alive.  
  
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Makoto just barely managed to keep a look of despair off of her face as the guards began talking in hushed tones...most likely discussing her possible fate. For a fleeting moment, she wished that Sephiroth or even Ryuhi were here to translate. For her, not knowing what was going on was pure torture.  
  
Thinking of Ryuhi made the pain of betrayal even more acute. 'Why?' she wondered. 'Why didn't he step in to help us?' Almost instantly, her pain transformed into determination. 'If he hurts Serin...'  
  
Her reverie was interrupted right then, however, the guards finishing their discussion, and gesturing to some mechanics, who disappeared into a spacious hangar area, took almost all of which up by several air speeders. Though they all had the same basic body (that of a crescent moon shape), some carried rocket pods slung under the wings, while others had evidence of heavier armor, among other modifications. However, the guards kept shoving Makoto past these, toward the end of the hangar, where another, huge, bay was visible.  
  
As she came into view, she felt her jaw drop in astonishment. The speeders these people had were something, but they paled in comparison to this...this...behemoth. The airship she was obviously being herded to seemed to be a cross between a blimp and a helicopter/plane, what with all the propellers on it. That alone would most likely deter most possible pirates, but judging from the weapons blisters on the prow, sides, and stern, the crew wasn't taking any chances.  
  
Just as Makoto was about to step onto the ramp leading up, she heard an authoritative voice call out a command. Turning with her captors, she saw Ryuhi jogging up to their group, giving a long string of urgent commands. Whatever he said, the guards were properly motivated enough to leave her behind, and go racing out of the hangar entirely.  
  
Bewildered by this sudden turn of events, she was just about to ask Ryuhi what was going on, when he whistled twice, and vaporized her cuffs with a mere touch. At that moment, both Serin and Sephiroth stepped out of hiding near one of the speeders and began quickly, yet stealthily making their way to the airship that their comrades were gathered near. As they came up, Ryuhi stated urgently, "We do not have much time before the security team figures out I lied." Suddenly, a mischievous grin appeared on his face. "Although, I do believe it would be funny to see the reactions on their faces when they realize that you are not, in fact, impersonating two of the Elders."  
  
Serin and Sephiroth took a moment to absorb this thought, before they started laughing politely with the renegade martial artist. Gesturing them aboard, he took one last glance around, before ducking inside and closing the door. Turning around, he saw that the crew had eager looks on their faces, but were still awaiting his orders. Glancing around at the crowd, he picked out one face immediately, and nodded slightly.  
  
Captain Cid...take us out of this hole.   
  
Cid grinned as the others cheered in obvious approval, and immediately set about their tasks. Before long, the whine of distant engines became a steady hum throughout the entire ship, and a sudden jerk told the group that they were indeed on their way. 


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven  
  
After several minutes of flight took them beyond the range of the Desert Fox Clan's stronghold, Ryuhi asked his three comrades to join him up on deck. This, unfortunately, had the effect of making Jupiter stumble over to the railing, coughing, and dry heaving. Even though Ryuhi suggested that they move back below decks, the senshi waved her hand and stood, though she appeared a bit green. Once she had recovered from her initial fit, Ryuhi apologized to all of them.  
  
"I'm sorry for causing you so much distress during this time. I had to ensure that you were the ones I was told about before I could make my move."  
  
Serin and the others frowned in puzzlement at this, but Makoto was the first to speak, albeit with hesitation, and frequent deep breaths. "Told about? Someone knew about us this whole time?"  
  
Ryuhi nodded. "Yes, he was a traveling wizard who visited with us occasionally. The Elders only tolerated his presence because none of us could get close enough to do anything to him. That magic of his was really something. In return, he helped us get some supplies that we never would have gotten otherwise. This airship, for example, is one such item we were able to build with his help. At any rate, it was he who took me aside and told me of your coming." At this, he chuckled. "I must admit, I was getting a bit impatient. It was a year ago that he told me about this, and I was beginning to wonder if that wizard was pulling a prank on me."  
  
Makoto nodded slowly, her eyes narrowed as if she knew what was coming next. "This 'wizard'...what was his name?"  
  
Ryuhi pursed his lips in thought, and slowly said, "Urawa...Urawa Ryo was his name...at least, that's what I remember."  
  
Makoto nodded. "So...he survived the Cataclysm, too..."  
  
"Mako-chan, you know him?" Serin queried.  
  
"Yeah, except I never expected to hear his name again. Back before the cataclysm, he and A...uh, Mercury were a real item. They never really got the chance to make things work, though, which was a real shame, since it was obvious they both liked each other. Now, though, I wonder..." Turning back to Ryuhi with another breath, she asked, "Do you know where we can find Urawa?"  
  
The martial artist nodded. "Yes. He told me to take you to a floating city about four hours northwest of here, called Skyhaven, when you arrived."  
  
Both Serin and Makoto registered shock at that statement. "Are you serious? There's an actual floating city?"  
  
Ryuhi nodded, then raised a hand to forestall any further comments. "Before you can even ask, I know nothing about it beyond that fact. You'll have to wait until we get there to ask anything else."  
  
At this point, Sephiroth, who had remained silent until now, spoke up: "Speaking of questions: you said you were waiting to make your 'move'...what exactly was that?"  
  
Ryuhi sighed, and leaned back against the railing as he faced his comrades. "To tell the truth, I had been planning a secession with several others for some time. The Elders' obsession with continually conceding to Neo-Queen Serenity has us on edge. We've learned from Earth's history that this policy of...'appeasement' rarely works. Therefore, we've decided to avoid the mistakes of the past, and take our stand, regardless of what happens."  
  
Sephiroth frowned and asked, "What exactly would your 'stand' consist of?"  
  
Ryuhi smirked, and replied, "After consolidating all the forces and armaments we could, we'd begin a decisive raid on the Crystal Palace...at which point, we'd decide whether to impose our concerns on Serenity...or kill her."  
  
"Hold it, Ryuhi. First things first, we need to get the paladin on our side, and then we need to review our options," Serin commented.  
  
Ryuhi tightened his lips. "Every moment we delay strengthens Serenity's position, and weakens ours. You seem to be forgetting that the main goal of our mission is to stop her madness."  
  
Makoto shivered at Ryuhi's words, which irritated Serin further. With gritted teeth, he stated slowly and deliberately, "Look, muscle head, I'm only going to say this once: Serenity is not at the root of these problems. Therefore, we don't need to worry about whether we're going to 'explain' things to here or else, since she's not the cause."  
  
Ryuhi glanced over each of his 'comrades' briefly, as if weighing whether he could take them out right now. Before the look really registered, though, it passed, and he smiled disarmingly. "Of course," he conceded patronizingly. "At any rate, if you'll excuse me, I'll direct Captain Cid to take us to Skyhaven." With a slightly mocking bow, he turned and exited the deck.  
  
Not more than two seconds had gone by before Sephiroth spoke up. "I don't trust him. He appears to be trouble with a capital T, and his attitude could use some adjustment." That last part was accompanied with Sephiroth gripping his Masamune tightly, as a clear indication of what he would 'adjust' along with the attitude.  
  
"Yeah, I know Sephiroth, but he's the only one who knows where Skyhaven is, for one thing, and for another...well, he could be a useful ally, as well."  
  
Sephiroth snorted at that. "Useful for what? Getting us into trouble? He seems to be quite adept at that, for certain."  
  
Makoto nodded in agreement. "I agree. Added to that is his apparent hatred toward Serenity. I don't know if we should take him along with us any further than necessary...and certainly not to Crystal Tokyo."  
  
Serin raised his hands to speak, and stated, "Look, I know where both of you are coming from, but the fact remains that we need his help. We have no choice but to go along with him, but we can try to minimize whatever damage he might try by keeping an eye on him and making sure we don't leave him in a critical position.  
  
Sephiroth nodded. "Much as I loathe to admit it, I believe that I'm the most qualified for watching him. Shadowing others was part of my basic training from...back when. Maybe at the same time, I can see if this hatred of Neo-Queen Serenity has spread to the entire crew. I'll contact you later." And with that, Sephiroth followed their host's trail down.  
  
Serin turned to look at Makoto in order to excuse himself as well, but stopped short when she grasped him in a firm hug. Surprised, and not knowing what else to do, he merely found himself hugging her back. Moments later, he felt her body shaking, and looked down to see her crying.  
  
"Mako-chan? What's wrong?"  
  
She shook her head, and with a few sniffles, wiped her eyes. "No...Nothing, Serin-kun. It's just that...oh, Serin!" And with that, she let another cry escape her lips, as she collapsed against him, sobbing. "I...I just never thought I'd see you again, and that I never would have the chance to...I...I just couldn't bear the thought..." Turning her face up to him, she smiled brightly through her tears. "And then, all of a sudden, just when I thought it was all over...you showed up out of nowhere, almost like you were my prince coming to save me. It...It just made me realize...how much you mean to me..." At this, her voice failed her, and she merely hugged him tighter.  
  
Serin kissed the top of her head at that, and whispered, "Shh...It's okay, Mako-chan...it's okay, I understand..."  
  
Burying her head in his chest, uncomfortable as it was with the armor plating, she asked, almost hesitantly, "Serin...?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Did...did you mean what you said? Back in there?" Turning her gaze up to his, she had a hopeful, yet fearful, expression on her face. Serin's, in contrast, was a study in neutrality for a few moments, as the only movement from him was his blinking eyes. As the silence stretched longer and longer, the knot in her stomach grew.  
  
Finally, Serin smiled, and before covering her lips with a heartfelt kiss, whispered back, "I love you, Mako-chan. I...feel as though I've always loved you...and I know I always will."  
  
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Only a couple of hours later, Ryuhi strode through the ship with a purposeful, yet unhurried pace, searching for his comrades. After an extensive search, he finally found them on the bridge and got their attention.  
  
"We seem to have a problem."  
  
Serin sighed, "Of course. This was too good to be true..."  
  
"We just picked up a transmission from Old Athens, the capital of Europe. It seems that the water level is rising extremely quickly, and there's a bunch of delegates who need immediate evacuation. Much as the delay annoys me, I already gave the order to change course, as I expected you would demand that we do so once you found out. Therefore, we'll be getting to Skyhaven somewhat later than expected."  
  
Serin narrowed his eyes slightly, but nodded his head regardless. "All right."  
  
As they began to change their course, Makoto gave a sharp intake of breath, which caused both Sephiroth and Serin to sharply turn to look at her. "What is it, Mako-chan?"  
  
Makoto looked at her friends with a look of shock on her face. "I just remembered...Old Athens is where King Endymion and Princess Small Lady were going to attend a peace conference! They're probably trapped there, too!"  
  
Ryuhi pursed his lips, then barked a couple of urgent orders at Cid. Within seconds, he received a reply, and said, "I just asked Cid how much time we could save if we poured all available power into the engines, and he told me that we'd be there within five minutes. Hopefully we won't have any problems before then."  
  
As it turned out, they got their wish. The problems didn't start until they got to their destination.  
  
The first, and most immediate, problem was a group of combat fighters that were swarming over the refugees, who had taken shelter (such as it was) on top of their houses and buildings. Thought the fighters didn't seem to be doing anything beyond buzzing the refugees, Serin and his friends knew that the threat, immediate or not, had to be dealt with. At Ryuhi's command, the airship pulled up almost immediately, and ended up in the midst of the fighter's ranks. The fighters quickly took this opportunity to surround the intruder, and swarmed in to make their attacks.  
  
Serin and the others were ready for them, though, and they each launched their best projectile attacks at the ships when they drew within range. Sephiroth cast his most powerful lightning spell, which was unimaginatively called Bolt 3. Serin began firing the energy bolts from his sword that he had used back in Crystal Tokyo to great effect, and despite her continuing bouts with airsickness, all of Jupiter's attacks brought their opponents down like flies.  
  
By far the most impressive of attacks, though, was Ryuhi's. By clenching his fist and concentrating, he could unleash a blast of chi that resembled an arrow with each punch he threw. Before long, over ninety percent of the invaders were destroyed, and the rest immediately pulled back and retreated. Using what little time they felt they could spare, the four warriors found that aside from some minor scratches on all of them, they were more than capable of getting everyone out of danger.  
  
Thus, attention quickly shifted to getting the people aboard. Within a few minutes, they had over 50 people out of danger, but it seemed like they had twice that many left to go yet. As if that wasn't enough, the water level was steadily rising, and only the highest buildings were still above water. After about half an hour, they finally got everyone on board. As Makoto looked over the people present, she gave them a double-check, and then shouted to Serin, "I can't find Endymion or Small Lady!"  
  
Serin took that opportunity to inspect the crowd himself, and he quickly came to the same conclusion. Getting the attention of the nearest refugee, he asked, "Where's the king and princess?"  
  
The young girl, who had a crescent moon similar to what he had seen on the foreheads of Serenity's advisor's, blinked once, then replied, "When we got to the rooftops, Princess Small Lady wasn't with us, so the King went back into the Senate Hall to find her. We...haven't heard from them since..."  
  
"Where? Where is the hall?"  
  
The girl pointed outside the hatch toward a particular building that was more than three quarters underwater. Even as Serin watched, he saw the water table continuing to rise steadily. By his estimate, he figured it would be completely submerged within ten minutes.  
  
Turning back, he called out, "Mako-chan, Sephiroth! We've gotta hurry!" With that, he jumped out into the water. As soon as he hit the water, his armor plating pulled him under but he was able to quickly break the surface and remain there as his two companions joined him. Just as he was about to lead them to their destination, Ryuhi shouted from the airship, "Shall I come as well?"  
  
Serin looked back up, and answered, "No! Stay with the airship, and make sure you keep any possible reinforcements out of the sky! We should be back in about ten minutes, so make sure you're ready to lift..." Serin broke off as a splash of water grabbed his attention. Turning in that direction, he caught a glimpse of purple clothing before starting in that direction. Jupiter, however, beat him there, and was easily supporting a familiar figure out of the water.  
  
"King Endymion, are you alright?" Jupiter asked frantically. Endymion coughed up several lungfuls of water, then shook his head to get the water out of his short black hair. Blinking a couple of times, he looked at Jupiter, then his eyes widened.  
  
"Jupiter! Thank goodness you're here! We need..." Endymion trailed off as he noticed Sephiroth and Serin treading water nearby. "Wha...?"  
  
"Majesty, we have no time to waste talking." Sephiroth interjected. "Is Princess Small Lady coming with you?"  
  
Endymion shook his head in response.  
  
Sephiroth nodded, then turned back to the airship. "Ryuhi! Get the king on board! We're going after the princess!"  
  
Just as he got an acknowledgement, Endymion reached out to grip his arm. "No."  
  
Serin frowned in confusion. "What do you mean, sir?"  
  
Endymion emphasized, "I am not going to go anywhere until I know that my daughter's safe. I'm coming with you."  
  
Serin started to protest, but then saw the icy look of determination in the king's blue eyes. Shrugging, he nodded, and then Sephiroth relayed the change of plans to their comrades. Ryuhi then shouted something to the swordsman that was too faint for Serin to hear, and tossed something down that Sephiroth caught easily. As he swam back, he passed something to his friends that looked suspiciously like a kazoo...but it went in sideways.  
  
"What's this?" he asked.  
  
"A rebreather. It will allow us to stay under water longer. Ryuhi told me that Cid had just enough time to get them out of storage for us. Good thing we stayed up for a while, hm?" Sephiroth said with a smirk.  
  
Serin nodded, then strapped his apparatus in place, seeing the others following suit. Glancing at everyone and seeing their nods, he quickly jackknifed his body and dove under the water. 


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight  
  
Slowly approaching the submerged door, Serin and his comrades took up positions to the sides, while Sephiroth prepared to fling the door open. As he touched the handle, the warrior suddenly jerked his hand back, an expression of pain on his face.  
  
Endymion grabbed his hand, and quickly looked it over, but stopped when he heard a voice in his head.  
  
'It's okay. It's just so damn cold.'  
  
Nodding, the king released his hand, and Sephiroth pulled down the sleeve of his trench coat, covering his hand as he again grasped the handle. With a quick jerk, Sephiroth opened the door, and the group swam inside...promptly falling flat on their faces.  
  
Everyone attempted to get off of everyone at the same time, which, for a while, only succeeded in making things worse. After a few minutes, though, the group managed to untangle themselves from each other, and gazed around at the inside of the Senate Hall.  
  
The first thing everyone noticed was that the interior of the building was completely devoid of water. Though most people would have pointed out that it was most likely because the building was watertight, there were several open windows where the water stayed where it was...almost as if there was an invisible barrier holding it back.  
  
Though they were initially caught off guard, Endymion, Serin, Jupiter, and Sephiroth quickly recovered, and immediately assessed the area for any threats as they cautiously pulled off their rebreathers. It only took them moments to come up empty.  
  
"Well, I don't know whether to be relieved, or apprehensive," Sephiroth commented. Serin snorted good-naturedly, and replied, "I'd say be apprehensive. Chances are good that whoever's expecting us is keeping all of his forces on the upper levels."  
  
Sephiroth shifted his gaze to the swordsman for a brief moment, then stated, "I was being sarcastic. But I can see that you may not have much of a humor in situations like this."  
  
Serin replied with a universal gesture good-naturedly, and turned his attention to the king, asking, "Highness, was it like this when you came in?"  
  
Endymion shrugged at that, his expression one of complete bewilderment. "I didn't even get a chance to go inside, so I wouldn't know. I think it's safe to say that whoever did this has very powerful elemental control." His expression hardened. "Of course, that doesn't mean I'm changing my mind."  
  
At this, he turned his gaze to his comrades, and started heading for a pair of doors marked 'Stairs'. Shrugging, the others hurried after him, just in time to see four 'water tornadoes' crash through the stairwell doors, and attack.  
  
Though it must have been years since Endymion saw any real action, his reflexes were more than equal to the task. Leaping to the side and flicking his wrist simultaneously, four roses embedded themselves in the liquid forms, which succeeded in stunning them briefly.  
  
Serin and Jupiter were quick to follow up on this opportunity by a powerful sword strike, and a Supreme Thunder, respectively. Sephiroth, in the meantime, simply gestured as one of the orbs in his sword hilt glowed, and several bolts of lightning struck the remaining two, easily disintegrating them.  
  
Endymion climbed to his feet once he was sure the danger was past, though everyone noted he still carried a rose in his hand, should he need it. Peering cautiously around the corner, he nodded upon seeing nothing, then turned to Sephiroth.  
  
"That's an interesting form of magic. Where did you learn it?"  
  
Sephiroth looked down at his sword, and shrugged. "Actually...I've always had this ability. It's just..." Shaking his head, the swordsman muttered, "I...I don't remember..."  
  
Frowning, but not wishing to pursue the matter, Endymion simply nodded, and led the way up the stairs.  
  
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About half an hour and fifteen more waterspouts later, the party reached the final level. Cautiously opening the door, an initial glance revealed nothing of interest, though the sound of faint rushing water could be heard. As they stepped in, however, Jupiter glanced up to see...  
  
"Princess!"  
  
The other's snapped their heads in her direction, and immediately upwards, to see Small Lady trapped in a suspended globe of water. She remained motionless for the time that they watched her, until the tableau was broken as Sephiroth raised his hand, and one of his sword hilt's orbs began to glow.  
  
"No, wait, Sephiroth!"  
  
The former general stopped, and turned with an expression of puzzlement on his face.  
  
Serin pointed at the globe and emphasized, "If you cast magic to break that sphere, you may hurt the princess, too. I think you'd want to prevent that, right?"  
  
Sephiroth looked back up at Small Lady's prison, then down at his companions, and had the good sense to look sheepish. "Sorry. Where I come from, that's the way we break prisons of that type."  
  
"Hee, hee, hee!!! Smart move on your parts, mortals. It's such a shame that you still feel the need to oppose Neo-Queen Serenity!"  
  
Everyone whirled at the new voice, to see a maelstrom of water coalesce into a squat, four-legged form with a bulbous, grinning head.  
  
"Greetings, puny fools! I am Cagnazzo, Fiend of Water. I have orders from the queen to dispose of you, and unlike that fool Milon, I will succeed."  
  
Endymion's jaw visibly dropped at this pronouncement, and he sputtered, "Muh...my...wife?"  
  
Cagnazzo's voice took on a sarcastically saddened tone at this. "Oh, yes, did your rescuers forget to mention this to you? Your wife has seen the error of her ways, and has decided to set out and conquer this world. Of course, if she fails at that, she'll settle for destroying it."  
  
Endymion shook his head. "No! You're lying to me! Serenity would never do such a thing!"  
  
Cagnazzo merely cackled and jerked his head to the other three. "Ask them yourself...in HELL! Oh, one other thing," he remarked off-handedly, "Until you defeat me, you don't have any chance of breaking that globe of water holding your precious daughter. And I can promise you that I won't be easy to defeat. Are you ready?"  
  
As the four combatants prepared themselves, Cagnazzo spewed forth a long string of bubbles at Sephiroth, one of which grew to sufficient size to completely encase him inside of it. As the others stared in horror, the Fiend laughed. "Just to insure that this fight doesn't get unfair. Now, then..."  
  
That was as far as he got before a rose came out of nowhere to embed itself in his eye. Roaring in pain, he stumbled backward, and attempted to use his front limbs to pull out the offending object.  
  
This gave Jupiter the opportunity to charge up a Sparkling Wide Pressure attack, which threw Cagnazzo back several steps. Serin then took his sword and tried slicing open the bubble that was imprisoning Sephiroth, to no effect.  
  
Sephiroth, for his part, was also doing his best to break his prison open from the inside, though his efforts were no more successful. Frustration showing on his face, his eyes suddenly brightened, and he attempted to speak through his prison.  
  
"...se...ma..."  
  
Serin shook his head to indicate he didn't understand, which frustrated the imprisoned warrior further. Shouting a bit louder, he repeated, "Use ma...c!"  
  
While the two soldiers tried to communicate, Cagnazzo finally managed to get the rose projectile out of his eye, and was calling up water to form a waist-high barrier around him. Both Jupiter and Endymion utilized the lull to fire more of their attacks at him, but it seemed as though the initial surprise and pain had faded, enabling Cagnazzo to now shrug off their attempts to injure him.  
  
Serin threw a cautious glance back over his shoulder, and then he blinked, finally putting two and two together. Shouting back to Jupiter, he said, "Mako-chan, throw another attack at Sephiroth!"  
  
Jupiter looked back with a frustrated look on her face, and shook her head. "I can't do anything right now! My energy reserves are gone!" she replied.  
  
Cagnazzo cackled in glee and utilized the distraction to cast his most powerful attack. Focusing more energy into his water barrier, the maelstrom grew in size and apparent force until it was towering over each of the fighters. Gesturing with one of his front legs, Cagnazzo sent the tidal wave roaring toward his opponents, sending them crashing back into the far wall. Serin struggled mightily to get to his feet as both Jupiter and Endymion levered themselves off of the ground and leapt away from any possible counterattacks that their opponent threw.  
  
Naturally, Cagnazzo did in fact spray a jet of water that magically diverged into three powerful streams. The aforementioned two warriors were well out of range when the attack came, while Serin barely managed to avoid being blasted. As he managed to roll to his feet, the swordsman heard a familiar voice from their entryway. "Whew! Lucky for you guys I got here in time! Now you get to see a professional in action."  
  
Serin turned back to see Ryuhi casually stroll in, cracking his knuckles, and then his neck, as he slid into his combat stance. A quick glance around revealed to him Sephiroth's predicament, and he turned to Endymion. "Highness, use one of your roses to get our illustrious general out of that bubble. I'll take care of Igor here!" So saying, he turned back to the Fiend, concentrated on bringing forth his aura of red chi, and shouted, "Kaio-Ken times two!" This time, it took a mere two seconds before the results of Ryuhi's handiwork were apparent...and they were worse than anything Milon had suffered. On the flip side, though, Ryuhi was also trembling much more visibly, and when his opponent sprayed a powerful blast of water, the young martial artist couldn't even do much more than twitch in an attempt to dodge as the spray catapulted him with a 'CRASH!' back against the far wall, denting it visibly.  
  
Endymion, however, saw none of this, as he took Ryuhi's advice to heart immediately, and threw one of his roses at the bubble imprisoning their comrade. With an audible 'pop', it immediately dissipated, and the captive collapsed to the ground, coughing. Jupiter was at his side in a moment, insuring that he was okay, but Sephiroth quickly waved her off, attempting to get to his feet within as short amount of time as possible. Once he stood straight, he gestured towards the Fiend, and several bolts of lightning caused their watery opponent to shake and jerk uncontrollably as he roared in pain. However, this only served to enrage Cagnazzo, as he inhaled deeply, and sprayed a jet of water that sent everyone remaining on his or her feet into the wall. Once the attack ended, Sephiroth and his comrades struggled valiantly to get to their feet again, but were constantly stopped short as pain from the impacts ripped through their bodies.  
  
Cackling in satisfaction, Cagnazzo shook his head in mock regret. "So sad, to have fought so hard, and for naught. Perhaps you will do better in the afterlife." With that said, he formed his water barrier again, and prepared for his final strike.  
  
With bleary, pain-glazed vision, Jupiter turned her head to see Serin's face one final time...and blinked in shock as she noticed that he wasn't around. In fact, now that she thought about it, he hadn't been around when Sephiroth was freed from his confinement, either. Shaking her head, and forcing her vision to clear, she managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of a figure creeping up behind their enemy just before she collapsed from unconsciousness.  
  
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The Water Fiend could hardly believe his luck. His master was sure to give him great rewards for his success in eliminating the final obstacles in their grand designs. Oh, there would be some troublesome squawking from Serenity over the death of the final Guardian, but that would be easily smoothed over in the larger scheme of things. It was such a pity, though, that this ragtag group wasn't the fools from so long ago...ah, well.  
  
Just as he prepared to cast Big Wave once more, he felt a searing pain in his back, causing him to cry out in agony. Weakened as he was, he totally lost control of the rising water level, and the princess' prison, causing them to revert to normal and dissipate, respectively. As he turned to face the overlooked distraction, his face registered easily visible shock.  
  
'Damn! How could I have missed him?'  
  
Serin smirked slightly without the slightest trace of humor and winked as he asked, "How you doin', pal? Hm?"  
  
The Fiend reached out with one huge hand to attempt a knockout strike, but the swordsman easily saw it coming, due to his opponent's wounds slowing him down. Leaping over the attack, he raised his sword over his head, and as he hit the apex of his jump, formed an aura of energy around it, not unlike a lightsaber, as he shouted, "Crescent Slash!" which added extra energy to his strikes, forming a crescent moon shape. Coinciding his two strikes with his descent added additional damage to Serin's strike, which threw Cagnazzo back several feet. As the warrior stood in his original landing spot, his sword still partially embedded in the ground, he slowly looked up at his opponent, who calmly returned his gaze, despite the dark blue ichor running down all over his body. Coughing up a mouthful of his blood, the Fiend growled impotently as he raised his head, and vanished in a flash of light. 


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine  
  
Serin stood in his landing spot for a moment or two longer after Cagnazzo disappeared, to insure that there were no tricks, then sighed, allowing his full exhaustion to show. Snapping his head back up, he quickly sheathed his sword, and then ran over to his friends. Quickly inspecting them, he let a short breath of relief escape his lips afterwards. Just as he began inspecting the room for anything to use in getting them out, a soft moan caught his attention.  
  
Snapping his gaze over in that direction, the swordsman saw a shifting white dress just beyond Endymion's form, and quickly headed in that direction. Once he got there, Serin gently rolled over the form, and ended up staring in Princess Small Lady's face, who was blinking her eyes, attempting to get used to the light.  
  
"Wh...huh?" she asked.  
  
"Princess Small Lady, I presume?"  
  
Small Lady blinked once more, then focused her eyes on her rescuer. "Wh...who are you?"  
  
Serin shook his head, then jerked it in the direction of his comrades. "Never mind that now. I need some help getting them out of here. Do you think you can lend a hand?"  
  
Small Lady slowly sat up and turned in the indicated direction. She blinked again, then nodded. "I'll...help however I can, at least. I'm not exactly a powerhouse."  
  
Her companion nodded. "That's okay. If we have to, we'll make two or three trips. See if you can get your father, okay?"  
  
The princess nodded, and attempted to stand, only to hiss in pain as she grabbed her side.  
  
Serin was at her side in an instant, asking, "Hey, princess, you all right?"  
  
Small Lady blinked once more, then turned her ruby-red eyes on him, and cocked an eyebrow. "I've been captured by a totally ugly monster, trapped in a bubble, and on top of it all, I was roughed up. How do you think I feel?"  
  
Grinning, Serin wiped imaginary sweat off of his brow. "Good. I thought it was something serious." At that, he barely had enough time to jerk back out of the way of a light-hearted slap.  
  
Upon insuring that the princess was okay to assist him, Serin looked back at Jupiter, and then gently picked her up, putting her in a cradle carry. Turning back to his companion, he saw that she was able to get her father over her shoulder without much difficulty. Turning to the stairs, they quickly got back to ground level, and headed outside, to find the airship hovering only a few feet above the ground. Small Lady, naturally, was a bit hesitant to approach, but Serin called out for some help, and Cid, along with a couple crewmembers, hopped out of the open hatch, and scurried forward to take Jupiter and Endymion from them. As soon as that had been accomplished, Serin jogged back inside the building, after making it somewhat clear to the crew that he would be returning.  
  
Predictably, Small Lady followed the airship's crew as they carried her father and honorary aunt inside the vessel. Once inside, she was tackled by a small, furry bundle that meowed as it hit, shouting, "Small Lady!" The princess laughed as Diana positioned herself on Small Lady's shoulder, who followed the crewmen as they took her father and friend to what was obviously the medical wing, where the patients were fed some sort of thick, bluish liquid that they half-swallowed, half-coughed up. After swallowing the viscous liquid, though, the princess had to admit that they actually looked better. Once this registered, she heard a shuffle from the entranceway, and turned to see Serin staggering in, carrying Sephiroth over his shoulder, and barely managing to dump him on a bed to receive the same treatment their comrades had gotten. As soon as he had been placed in the appropriate area, the medical team took the opportunity to exit, passing by a familiar figure leaning against a support beam next to the exit. Pushing off from his resting area, Ryuhi dropped onto a bed of his own, then slowly closed his eyes until the princess asked, "Are they going to be okay?  
  
Turning his gaze on her, he nodded. "Yeah, they'll be okay. Bed rest and another dose of potions are required, but other than that, they're in good shape." Wincing slightly, he grabbed his side. "Damn, that bastard hit hard. I couldn't believe he stood up to my double Kaio-Ken attack. I'd been saving that for a time when I ran into something that could handle the punishment you guys were pouring into it. Guess I'll have to work on something stronger."  
  
Small Lady glanced around, then frowned as she noticed something. "Hey, where's everybody else? Makoto doesn't often travel without the other Guardians."  
  
Serin bit his lip, then shifted his gaze to Ryuhi, who had his eyes closed, with his chest rising and falling rhythmically. Looking back to her, he answered, "They...well, I'll tell you later."  
  
Nodding despite a frown of suspicion, Small Lady slowly sat down in a nearby chair, where she could keep silent watch over her father. Sighing in relief as he began to relax, Serin suddenly blinked, then looked back down at Ryuhi. "Hey, I thought I told you to remain with the airship."  
  
Ryuhi turned back, then smirked. "Since when did I obey orders from you?" Deliberately, he rolled back over, and soon his breathing patterns indicated deep sleep.  
  
'Why you arrogant son of a bitch.' Serin thought. Shrugging inwardly, he mentally added, 'Well, he did err on the side of good this time. Still, what is he up to?' Shaking his head, Serin took a seat beside Jupiter's cot, and before long, despite his uncomfortable position, he found himself nodding off.  
  
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Meanwhile...  
  
Neo-Queen Serenity snapped her scepter in two as her spy drone reported on the defeat of Cagnazzo. Though for some reason, she was glad that Endymion and Small Lady had been rescued, that didn't mean she was willing to let Jupiter and the rest get away with everything else that they had been doing.  
  
Taking several deep breaths, she slowly managed to calm herself, and think things through in a rational way.  
  
'Okay, before they changed their plans, they talked about going to a place called Skyhaven. Could that be where the Paladin that everyone's been talking about be dwelling?'  
  
It was worth checking out, at least. And at this point, there was only one Fiend who could quickly and efficiently search for and destroy a floating city.  
  
Serenity grinned malevolently, and called forth her third warrior.  
  
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The next morning, Cid informed the ship via the intercom system that they would be arriving at Skyhaven within an hour. The intercom's volume had the added benefit of waking up the patients and observers who were sleeping at the time. After the initial shock wore off, they all laughed and slowly got to their feet, while making sure that the rest had, in fact, healed them. After insuring that everyone was fine, they were guided to what passed as a mess hall aboard the airship. Though attempts were made to make something resembling a normal breakfast, everything still came out looking like lumps of unidentifiable paste. Still, looks weren't everything, as the party found out, and they quickly downed most of what was put in front of them, with Serin and Sephiroth playfully fighting over each other's food in order to satisfy their monstrous appetites. Ryuhi, however, was a spectacle in and of himself, as he downed 15 platefuls of the food in record time, only stopping when he found out that he had nearly single-handedly cleared the pantry. After everyone had finished, Endymion put down his fork, and cleared his throat loud enough to get everyone's attention.  
  
Smiling slightly at everyone, he began, "While I and my daughter are extremely grateful to all of you for saving our lives, as well as assisting Guardian Jupiter in her endeavor, I do have one particular question that has to be answered...and no matter how much it may hurt, I want the truth."  
  
At those words, everyone around the table suddenly grimaced, and started to fidget, appetites forgotten. Serin fidgeted most of all; he had been dreading the moment that the king would ask this question, and since the leadership mantle appeared to have fallen on him, he was expected to answer. Briefly, he considered delegating, but it didn't seem fair in anyone's case: Jupiter was having enough trouble dealing with the fact that Serenity was in danger, or on the side of evil, already-forcing her to tell the account of what had happened would be tantamount to cruel and unusual punishment. Sephiroth didn't seem the type for speeches, and as for Ryuhi...  
  
'Hell no.' thought Serin. Sighing mentally, he looked directly at Endymion and Small Lady, then began speaking.  
  
He told them everything, beginning with when they had left Crystal Tokyo for the peace conference in Old Athens, to the casual dismissal of the Guardians, to the unusually harsh new decrees, to the other Guardian's capture by Serenity's new 'special forces'. It was at this point that Sephiroth spoke up and put in his two cents about what he knew of their detainment; that they were fine for now, and that they only had eight more days before the purpose for which Serenity was saving them was nigh. Of great surprise to everyone was his startling revelation that Sailor Saturn no longer had to deal with the cancer of evil within her body. When asked how it had happened, the general blushed fiercely, and mumbled that she had merely learned to suppress it.  
  
Finally, with all of the details out of the way, Endymion lowered his gaze to the table, remaining silent. Small Lady, for her part, was holding up remarkably well, though there was a noticeable river of tears running down her cheeks, punctuated by the occasional sniffle. Diana whispered in her ear, trying to calm her, as Endymion finally sighed, and looked up at his companions.  
  
"So...you're sure of this? My wi...Serenity has turned to the side of evil?"  
  
Serin shook his head adamantly, silencing everyone else before they could even utter a syllable. "No. There are a lot of unknown factors in this whole scenario, Your Highness, but that's something I'm certain of...that it is not Serenity who's behind all of this. There is something, or someone, else doing all of this. We just have to find out who."  
  
Jupiter piped in at this point. "And the best way to do that is to find out where the Paladin of legend is. My guess is that Urawa can help us in that. That's why we're on our way to Skyhaven now."  
  
Endymion blew out an audible sigh of relief, though some fear was still evident in his blue eyes. "Well, then, I believe I will accompany you in this matter. If it does turn out to be Serenity at the bottom of this, maybe I can get through to her without things boiling to a fight."  
  
Serin looked over at the others, raising an eyebrow as he did so. "What do you think, guys?"  
  
Their responses were cut short by another audible cough as Endymion slowly rose to his feet. Placing his hands palms down on the table, he looked everyone in the eye before coming to rest on Serin, his gaze hardening slightly. "I think you misunderstood, Serin...it wasn't a request. By my authority as the king of Crystal Tokyo, I am hereby stating that I am joining you on your journey...whether you like it or not. Do you understand?"  
  
Serin matched his gaze for a brief moment, then almost automatically straightened up, and smirked as he snapped off a crisp salute. "Yes, SIR! Joining us, SIR!"  
  
After the cacophony of groans and roars of laughter, Endymion told everyone, "For now, we don't have to stand on ceremony. When it's just us, feel free to call me Mamoru. It seems to me that you've earned enough trust for me to give you my real name." Cocking his head, he added, "Which reminds me, I don't know anyone here...save for Jupiter and Serin, of course."  
  
Sephiroth bowed formally from the waist, and stated, "Sephiroth, former general of Crystal Tokyo's forces, and former general of SOLDIER...uh, I mean, former soldier."  
  
"Ryuhi. No rank. Formerly of the Desert Fox clan."  
  
Endymion nodded politely at both, though he idly wondered about Sephiroth's slip of the tongue. 'It's obvious that there's more to him than he's telling us.' His reverie, however, was cut short by another voice joining in.  
  
"Dad? I wanna come, too!"  
  
Endymion turned and knelt down to his daughter's level, his kind smile betraying some of the anxiety that he felt. Tousling her hair, he shook his head. "No, not this time, Chibi-Usa. This is way too dangerous for you, even though you're a Senshi in your own right now."  
  
Small Lady pouted and folded her arms over her chest. "This isn't dangerous. I was in more danger when I traveled through time, 'cause I wasn't a Senshi then. Why can't I go now?"  
  
Endymion placed both hands on her shoulders, and looked her sincerely in the eye. "Because, my daughter...if things go...bad...I want you to stay safe. And the only place you'll be safe is here, on the airship. Okay?"  
  
The princess lowered her gaze, her eyes brimming with tears as she jumped forward, glomping her father in a tight hug, as she said in a cracking voice, "Okay, Dad...just...be careful, okay? And take care of Mom, too."  
  
Diana piped in at this point, saying, "Don't worry, Small Lady. Everything will turn out all right...you'll see. You've just got to have faith."  
  
Serin smiled at the warm-hearted display between king, his daughter and her advisor, and glanced to the side, only slightly surprised to see Jupiter lean over and take his hand.  
  
Just then, in the spirit of wonderful timing, the call came over the intercom that they had arrived at the floating city of Skyhaven. 


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten  
  
As the ship approached Skyhaven, Serin and the others got their first look at a floating city...and their jaws dropped. To say that it was huge didn't do it justice.  
  
The city was HUGE.  
  
Aside from a couple of glowing green spots on the underside of the platform of earth, the entire city looked as though it had simply been lifted on a chunk of earth up into the sky. Serin shook his head, and spoke for the group with one word: "Wow."  
  
Cid brought the airship over the city, passing by once to search for a safe place to land, finally deciding on what appeared to be a type of open plaza. As the airship slowly lowered a rope ladder into the central plaza, everyone on board stood tense and alert for any signs of hostility. The fact that the entire city seemed deserted didn't help anyone, and even Ryuhi began to wonder if they had walked into a trap. A nudge in his ribs got his attention, and he snapped his gaze at Serin, who was scanning the surrounding buildings.  
  
"Wonder where the welcoming commitee is."  
  
Ryuhi snorted politely in response, and turned his gaze back to the empty expanse as he began his descent. Once his feet touched the ground, he stood still for a moment, then slowly, and deliberately began walking away from the ladder. Slowly glancing around, he managed to see a flicker of movement from the side of one of the buildings out on the eastern side of the plaza. Narrowing his eyes, he raced off in that direction, and careened around the corner...only to crash into someone standing just behind the turn. Both went down with a grunt and hit heavily. Shaking his head, Ryuhi opened his eyes to see that he had in fact run into a young teenaged girl with green hair, dressed in matching green robes, who was rubbing a bump on her forehead. Scrambling to his feet, Ryuhi took her hand off and was relieved to see that the bump was nothing serious.  
  
The girl, however, snatched her hand away and began crawling back, a look of fear on her face. A large trashcan behind her stopped her progress, however. Scrunching up into a little ball, she turned away, refusing to look at him.  
  
By this time, Ryuhi's companions had arrived, and taken in the scene. "Ryuhi, what did you do to her?" Jupiter asked.  
  
Ryuhi said nothing, but merely turned a strained-patient look at Jupiter, which was enough to convey that he was innocent in causing her strange behavior.  
  
Endymion stepped forward at this point, and placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "It's all right. We're not going to hurt you, because we need your help. Okay?"  
  
The girl looked up with a hesitant, yet hopeful, look in her eyes, as if she was unsure of the king's sincerity. As her gaze passed over the others in the group, she gasped slightly in surprise as she turned to Serin. Pointing at him, she stammered, "Yo...you're the one...the one that the E...Elder speaks of."  
  
Drawing back in confusion, Serin replied, "Uh, I don't know what you're talking about, but if it has anything to do with crimes committed against you people, I didn't do it."  
  
The girl smiled gently, and quickly got to her feet. "No, it's nothing like that. You must excuse my reaction upon seeing you earlier. It's the first time that anyone has deigned to visit us without our leader Urawa bringing them in." Sweeping an arm around, she added, "Everyone here has fled from Crystal Tokyo and Neo-Queen Serenity. Master Urawa often goes out to the city, and uses his magic to bring them here safely."  
  
Jupiter blinked, then stepped forward herself, asking, "Where is Urawa? It's urgent that we talk with him immediately."  
  
The girl nodded, then said, "He has been expecting you for some time, Guardian Jupiter. We don't have a moment to spare on idle chitchat, though. Come with me."  
  
Leading them through the main streets, the girl barely spared a glance at the houses as people cautiously peeked out, and then began cheering as they saw who their visitors were. The group began to feel quite embarrassed and confused, as Endymion reached out and tapped the girl on the shoulder.  
  
"Uh, excuse me...I don't even know your name."  
  
Turning and flashing him a sheepish smile, the girl responded, "My name is Kara, Your Majesty. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."  
  
Nodding, the king continued, "Kara, it's obvious that you know quite a bit about us...but where did we meet you?"  
  
Kara chuckled. "That always throws people off. The fact is that Master Urawa used to be a carrier of what was called a Rainbow Crystal, which had the side effect of giving him precognition. When his abilities warned him of the coming times ahead, he fled, eventually coming to this place. It was here that he learned how to control his precognition, so that he receives visions when he wishes, rather than waiting for one. He also learned the defensive power of White magic, which he wields with great skill."  
  
Overhearing the conversation, Ryuhi nodded and muttered, "No wonder we couldn't lay a hand on him."  
  
Kara nodded, then started walking backward, addressing Ryuhi directly. "Yes. Master Urawa had to come to the Desert Fox clan many times just so he could speak directly to you. He knew even then that you would be important to this group."  
  
His head whirling, Endymion held up a hand. "Wait, wait...are you telling me that Urawa knew about all of this?"  
  
Stopping, Kara looked at the king quizzically. "Yes, he did."  
  
"How long ago?"  
  
Her gaze taking a faraway look, Kara responded, "The initial warning didn't come until three years ago. Within six months after that, all the major pieces fell into place, so that he knew precisely what he had to do."  
  
Serin blinked, taking all of this in silently, while Sephiroth and Jupiter shook their heads in amazement. Kara then gestured them along, stating, "We don't have much time. We have to get to the castle, so Urawa can tell you more." So saying, she hurried along, leaving the others to try and tail her.  
  
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As the group entered the inner chambers of Skyhaven's leader, the first thing they noticed was the spartan decor. In the entire room, which spanned approximately thirty feet, there were only a few decorations (mostly staffs and carvings) on the walls. This only held their interest for the briefest of moments, as the figure standing up from his chair spoke up.  
  
"Well, it's about time. I wish I could get my visions to give me an exact time and date on occurrences."  
  
Jupiter laughed, and leapt forward to give Urawa a hug, which he returned with a chuckle of his own. Stepping out of her embrace, he looked everyone over, and nodded.  
  
"Just as I was expecting. It's nice to see you all working together."  
  
Ryuhi hmphed, then pointed out, "Do you know how many people I had to check out in the year that passed since our last meeting? Why couldn't you give me a ballpark estimate on when they'd be along, huh?" At that, he shook his head in mock annoyance.  
  
Urawa adopted a look of outrage, and walked over to within two feet of the martial artist, replying, "Oh, yeah? I told you it might be a while, but did you listen? Oh, no, you just had to check out every Tom, Dick, and Harry that showed up."  
  
As a slight smirk appeared on his lips, Ryuhi retorted, "Well, I'll have you know that for most people, 'a while' could be a day or two. Besides, you could have been going senile, and meant that the next person up was the one you were referring to."  
  
Laughing, Urawa clapped a hand on the martial artist's shoulder. "Got me there, pal." His expression then quickly turned serious as he faced the group. "All right, everyone. I know why you're here, and fortunately, we're all in luck: the Paladin is here, in the city."  
  
Complete silence settled over the room, until Sephiroth, in his own direct way, asked, "And we are waiting around for...?"  
  
Urawa smiled, then added, "Well, I wanted to make sure if he was ready to help. So I'm going to ask him now." Turning to Serin, he raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"  
  
The shock that settled over the room then was so sudden and complete, that nothing short of Armageddon could have broken the tableau. Blinking, Serin finally recovered, and sputtered out, "M...me?"  
  
Urawa's grin widened, and he nodded. "Yes, you, Serin. You are the next Paladin of Light who will wield the Crystal Sword in defense of the earth. Are you ready and capable of taking that responsibility?"  
  
Serin shook his head, feeling as if his entire world had been abruptly reversed. "Wait, I don't understand this...how the hell do you know that I'm the Paladin that Makoto and everyone else here has been searching for? And out of everyone here, why me?"  
  
Urawa pursed his lips at that, his smile slightly fading. "First of all, I just know that you are the Paladin. As to why...well, let's just say that the answer to that question, and many more, is waiting for you in the tower. Which brings us back to my original question."  
  
Serin turned to look at his friends, seeing their looks ranging from complete and utter shock, to total neutrality, to puzzlement, to hope. Seeing no help from them, he turned back to Urawa, bit his lip, and then nodded.  
  
"Right. Let's do it."  
  
Urawa nodded as if there was never any doubt, adding, "I guess in that case, it's up to me to get you to the top. There is a plus side to this, though, since we'll be able to use a couple of shortcuts that I found in the tower." Walking over to a corner of his room, he grabbed a few staffs, examined them closely, and then finally chose one with an unknown script winding around its length, topped off with a silver crescent moon headpiece. Smiling at the others, he gestured out.  
  
"Shall we?"  
  
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At the entrance to the tower, Urawa whispered several long phrases under his breath, which caused his staff to suddenly pulsate with a visible aura that made everyone's hair stand on end. After he had finished speaking, Urawa rapped the door three times, and then stepped back. After a brief pause, the doors groaned as they slowly swung open, revealing a dimly lit interior. Urawa paused as he strode up to the door, and stated over his shoulder, "There could be anything crawling around in here, so make sure you keep your eyes open. I can't do much in the way of offense, but I'll make sure to keep your strength and defenses up."  
  
After a round of assents, the group began their long trek up the eight floors of the Tower of Hope. With Urawa there to guide them, and point out shortcuts, the party was able to clear the first four floors with a minimum of trouble, especially due to the minimal number of monsters present. Starting at the fifth floor, though, things began to get difficult, requiring Urawa to constantly either heal people, or help in pointing out a particular monster's weak point, since Sephiroth's natural inclination was to blast everything with a particular style of magic, and Jupiter was limited to lightning attacks. This resulted in some monsters absorbing the energy sent their way, and getting in several of their own attacks before the party could retaliate.  
  
By the time they finally reached the eighth floor, everyone was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Fortunately, no monsters were visible, but even though Urawa suggested they take a moment to rest, Serin was determined to press on, seeing an inner room just ahead. Doggedly pushing ahead, he shoved the doors open, and found the room completely empty, save for a sword floating in mid-air within a pillar of light that seemed to be focused in from the sunlight outside. The sword itself seemed to be fashioned as an ordinary broadsword, yet it appeared to have a hole cut out of the base of the blade. Assuming it to be the Crystal Sword that Urawa spoke of, Serin approached it, noting that it shone with an inner silvery light that grew stronger as he got closer. Then, in a day full of surprises, the party got the biggest one of all...  
  
Welcome, everyone.   
  
Snapping into their respective combat stances instantly, the group attempted to search for the source of the voice, when they heard it again.  
  
Please...I mean you no harm. There is no need to draw your weapons.   
  
Sephiroth cocked his head slightly, and spoke aloud, "Who are you?"  
  
There is no time for idle chitchat. Now is the time that was foretold several centuries ago. The time is now to once again wield the Crystal Sword, and awaken the power that lies inside of you, Serin.   
  
Serin, by now getting quite exasperated with the vague hints, shouted, "What power? What do you mean?"  
  
Take the sword, Serin, and all will be explained.   
  
Frowning in frustration, Serin nonetheless slowly approached the sword, flexing his fingers as he did so. As he came ever closer, the sword's radiance intensified until it seemed that everyone would be blinded. Mentally steeling himself, Serin quickly reached out and grasped the sword, pulling it out of its resting place before he lost his nerve.  
  
He was rather disappointed when nothing happened.  
  
Suddenly, though, a faint hum began to sound from about the group. As they tried to locate the source of the sound, Ryuhi looked up, and barely had enough time to shout, "Serin, look out!"  
  
The light that the martial artist had seen circling overhead chose that moment to converge on the recipient of the tower's treasure, bathing him in a flash of pure white light. For a moment, everyone had to look away, since the light was so blinding, but when it cleared, and the group dared to take another look, Serin was still alive...yet he was wearing an entirely new outfit. Instead of being clad in a jumpsuit with armor plating, he was now clad in full armor with a golden, crystalline shine to it.  
  
At this point, the voice spoke again. Now, you seek answers...and I shall give them to you. Your past is now revealed, Serin. And with a flash of light, he, Jupiter, and Endymion were whisked away.  
  
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About 3000 years ago, during the Silver Millennium...  
  
"Are you sure of this, my Queen?"  
  
Queen Serenity turned to smile at her advisor's concern. "Yes, absolutely. TroYa is correct: to insure that the Silver Imperium Crystal's full power can never be accidentally unleashed, we must take a portion of it out. I had been thinking about what to do with that portion, and his suggestion was the best."  
  
The advisor rose to his feet, bowed, and stated, "I understand, my Queen. I will say nothing more."  
  
Serenity smiled again, and widened it as she looked over at her chamber doors. "TroYa, how nice to see you."  
  
The advisor turned to see the ambassador and leader of Lunaria standing in the doorway, dressed in the purple cloak of his office. Though his short hair was snow-white, as if he was well past middle age, he was in fact very young for his race...only about 2000 years. He was also smooth shaven and very handsome, despite the fact that he did not have the beetled eyebrows and stern visage that was common to Lunarians. Smiling gently in response, he replied, "I'm terribly sorry, Your Majesty, but I had some of our weapon smiths draw up some diagrams of what we think the sword should look like, and I wanted to go over them with you." Pausing for a moment, he added, "That is, if you're not busy..."  
  
Serenity realized at that moment that she had been staring, and shook her head, grateful that the motion hid her blush for the moment. "No, not at all! Talcus, you may leave now."  
  
Talcus bowed to both leaders, and silently exited the room. Once he was gone, TroYa quickly pulled a scroll out of a pocket in his cloak, and spread it over one of Serenity's tables.  
  
"Well, this is the best design that our artificers and blacksmiths could come up with, but before I turned it over to your people, I was hoping you would have some input on it."  
  
Serenity quickly walked over, her curiosity getting the best of her, and carefully perused the design of the sword that was being proposed. After a few moments, she looked up at TroYa, and was briefly shocked at how close the two of them were to each other. For what seemed like an eternity, the two of them gazed back and forth, almost touching...  
  
Then, the spell was broken, and with a cough from both parties, they each looked away.  
  
"Well, I'd say that the designs look magnificent. And the blade seems to be sketched masterfully. I can only hope that the final product turns out just as well." Pointing to the hilt guard, she asked, "What does this writing here say?"  
  
TroYa looked at the indicated spot, and smiled. "That's the legend of Lunaria. It inspires hope in every generation. In the village that we founded on Earth, Mysidia, we instruct the people to pray for this legend, especially in times of dire need."  
  
Serenity glanced back up at TroYa, and blinked in astonishment. "What does it say?"  
  
"One to be born from a dragon, hoisting the light and the dark, arises high up in the sky to the still land. Veiling the moon with the light of eternity, it brings another promise to mother earth with a bounty and mercy."  
  
Serenity opened her eyes upon hearing the legend, to see the Lunarian leader grinning at her. Blushing fiercely, she averted her gaze back down to the designs, and asked, "Is there anything going on the other side of the guard?"  
  
"No. I insisted that it be left open, in case you had any legends that you wished to be inscribed there." Cocking an eyebrow, he asked, "Do you?"  
  
Shaking her head, the queen replied, "No, unfortunately not. At least, nothing as inspiring as yours."  
  
Chuckling, TroYa began to roll up the scroll. "Well, some of us get inspiration out of it...but some say that it is a prophecy for a cataclysm, and that we should not circulate it."  
  
Frowning, Serenity asked, "Who would think that?"  
  
TroYa's face, for the first time, showed great bitterness. "One of our younger council members, Zemus. He was also against having any contact with the Moon Kingdom, or Earth, believing that no one was ready to meet with us yet." Winking at the queen, he added, "I'm certainly glad that he was wrong, for a number of reasons."  
  
Smiling mischievously, Serenity stated, "If I didn't know better, TroYa, I'd swear that you were trying to seduce me."  
  
Blinking, TroYa then blushed fiercely, and began to walk out. "I...apologize for being so forward, Your Highness." Stopping at the door, he turned slightly, and said, "It's just that...I have never met one so beautiful as you. I feel...drawn to you somehow." Laughing softly, TroYa added, "You don't suppose that it's because of the Imperium Crystal, do you?"  
  
Serenity joined him in his mirth, and both laughed for a good long time before TroYa turned, and gallantly kissed her hand. "I look forward to seeing you again, my Queen."  
  
Almost inadvertently, Serenity blew a kiss at the Lunarian while replying, "I look forward to it, as well."  
  
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About 2980 years ago, during the Silver Millennium...  
  
Serenity gasped in pain as another spasm shot through her. She'd heard about childbirth from many of the nobles, but had no idea that it would hurt this much. The healing magic that TroYa was using didn't seem to help much, either.  
  
"Very good, Your Highness. I think one more push should do it; get ready..."  
  
Squeezing her hand gently, TroYa prepared another Cure spell if it proved necessary. "Hang in there, love. It's almost over."  
  
Shaking her head, Serenity corrected her companion. "No. Not over, just...agh!"  
  
"That's right, Highness, push now! Keep pushing...there!"  
  
Abruptly, the pain faded, and the sound of a baby's wailing could be heard. Crying with tears of joy, Serenity managed to ask, "What is it?"  
  
The doctor gently placed a wrapped bundle in her arms, a smile on his face, though his eyes betrayed his shock. "Congratulations, Your Highness...it's a boy."  
  
Serenity blinked in shock of her own, but nevertheless smiled at the angelic face that stared up at her with wide blue eyes as he calmed down. A hand covered her own as she stroked the baby's face, and she smiled up at TroYa, whose eyes shimmered with his own tears.  
  
"So...have you decided on a name?" the doctor asked.  
  
TroYa and Serenity each glanced at the doctor, then each other, and chuckled. "No, not yet...give us a second..." Serenity giggled. After a few seconds of private conference, both parents smiled at their new son, and TroYa declared, "His name...is Serin."  
  
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About 2500 years ago, during the Silver Millennium...  
  
"But why? Why must you leave?"  
  
TroYa sighed, and hugged his lover close as she cried into his shoulder. "Because of that security scare, love. Thanks to Zemus' crime of attempting to steal the Imperium Crystal and the Crystal Sword, we Lunarians are no longer welcome anywhere. It's best for everyone if we just take our world-ship and go."  
  
"But you don't have to! Why do you have to leave with everyone else?! KluYa is staying on earth! Why can't you stay here? What about our son?!?"  
  
Smiling sadly, the Lunarian leader gently brushed away Serenity's tears. "I go because I must. They are my people, and I have to help them keep Zemus in check. And...I wish that I could stay here to watch our son grow. But it's best for everyone if we leave now. We tried to talk KluYa into going with us, but...he adamantly refused. And since his office is of a lower position than mine, nobody is really pushing to force him to leave with us. If I were to stay, the entire upper echelon of the Lunarian council would be thrown into disarray." Kissing her forehead gently, TroYa asked, "My love, I have a request to make of you." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "...I need to ask you for the Crystal Sword."  
  
Serenity frowned. "Why?"  
  
"Because Zemus was strong enough to keep nearly half of the council at bay with his power. Even in the seal we've placed on his prison, he can continually develop his psychic powers. If he should break free of his confinement, we may very well need the Crystal Sword's power."  
  
Lowering her gaze at that thought, Serenity nodded. "Very well, TroYa. You may take it. Keeping the sword and the Imperium Crystal apart will prevent any dark forces from completely enveloping the universe in darkness, too."  
  
TroYa frowned at that, but decided to let it go for the moment. Pulling her close to him, he kissed her, promising, "In time, I will return. But..."  
  
Serenity looked up at him, to find concern on his face. "But...?" she asked, fearing the worst.  
  
"In the unlikely event that I do not return in fifty years...I do not want you to live your life pining for me. I want you to move on, and enjoy life."  
  
"But I don't want to! I love you!"  
  
Hugging her close again, TroYa simply said, "I love you, too, my Queen. But...I want nothing more than for you to be happy. Please...do this for me. And never forget that I will always love you."  
  
All too soon, the embrace ended, and the Lunarian leader was escorted out of the queen's chambers, leaving behind his weeping lover...  
  
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About 2200 years ago, during the Silver Millennium...  
  
Serin smiled, and gestured at himself as he stood in front of his mother and sister in the audience chamber. "So, mother...how do I look?"  
  
Serenity smiled in return at her son, nearly grown up now, dressed in full armor after a full parade of the entire Moon Kingdom's military. After reaching the age of majority, Serin had immediately enlisted in the Imperial Guard, due to his natural talent with the sword, and inability to adjust to royal life. Though he knew of the possibilities he had being the firstborn of the queen, he had shown no interest in disrupting custom, preferring instead to officially distance himself from the royal family, and let his sister, Princess Serena, be groomed for the throne. It had also helped matters that the Queen had sworn the few who knew of this matter to secrecy.  
  
Serenity thought back to both of her children's fathers, one lost and the other dead. She often wondered what had happened to TroYa, but took his words to heart and did not pine her life away wishing that he would return. Five years after TroYa's own deadline, she had met and married an upstanding noble in the court, giving birth to her daughter, whom she had named Serena, only a year later. Her two children got along well as they grew up, even considering the bouts of sibling rivalry they had. Once they matured, their interests turned from annoying each other to pursuing their futures...which brought her to where Serin stood now.  
  
"So, mother, what do you think? Do I look like a true Guardsman?"  
  
As the queen nodded in agreement, the princess slowly walked around her brother a few times, giving every indication of inspecting his armor for the slightest fault. Finally, she stopped in front of him, and smirked mischievously.  
  
"You look like a fine warrior, Serin...but will you enjoy having to be ordered around by your younger sister?"  
  
The queen watched with growing amusement as Serin stuck his tongue out at his sister, then playfully bat her hands away as she mock-threatened to fight him hand-to-hand. Finally, Serin turned back to his mother, and bowed formally, as if he were a noble not connected in any way to the queen. "I need to report for duty, mother. Hopefully, I'll have enough free time later to stop by and see you. Take care of yourselves, okay?" And with a wave, the guardsman easily walked out of the throne room.  
  
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2010 years ago, during the Silver Millennium...  
  
Outside the walls of the castle, a figure in the distance began to approach, taking extra care to stay in the shadows. After pausing and glancing furtively around, the figure quickly moved forward again. At the sound of marching footsteps, however, he jumped back into the shadows and crouched, becoming so still that he seemed a part of them. A few moments later, several soldiers garbed in full armor strode purposefully around the corner, never giving a second glance to the shadows where the intruder was hiding. After the guards had passed, the intruder swiftly removed himself of his cover, heading toward a particularly well-lit balcony. Before he got within range of it, however, another figure sprang out of the bushes next to the first one, and quickly clapped a hand over the first's mouth. It was at this point that the struggle put them within a beam of light from a nearby window, revealing Serin and Prince Endymion. Endymion was dressed in his usual tuxedo garb that he frequently favored, and Serin was dressed in the full gray armor of the Moon Kingdom's soldiers, though the helmet was nestled in the crook of his other arm.  
  
Serin leaned over to whisper in the prince's ear, "Quit struggling. I'm not gonna kill you, although I am interested in what you're doing here in the first place."  
  
Endymion instantly stopped struggling as the voice registered, and he turned to look at his captor as Serin dropped his hand. The prince smirked at Serin, and shrugged.  
  
"I would be lying if I said that I came here for any other reason than to see your sister, Serin."  
  
Serin shook his head in mock irritation, and blew out a short breath. "What, tomorrow's not soon enough for you? Everybody knows you're gonna dance together for the entire ball, and you just have to sneak in and risk capture by the guards so you can see my sister now?"  
  
Endymion gave a small shrug again, and nodded. "You know our feelings for each other. Would doing me a small favor hurt that much?"  
  
Serin sighed again, and shook his head. "You know, you're going to end up owing me a year's worth of favors at this rate. How many times have I smuggled you into her quarters? Twenty? Thirty?"  
  
Endymion chuckled. "I lost count after thirty-five."  
  
Serin looked back at his sister's balcony for several seconds, and then his shoulders drooped as he shook his head.  
  
"Look, understand that I'm only doing this because the two of you are engaged to each other, and I don't want to see my sister unhappy. But this time, you pay me back by doing me a favor. Okay?"  
  
Endymion cocked his head. "First, you must tell me the nature of your request."  
  
Serin blushed, and then muttered, "I want you to see if you can set me up with Princess Jupiter."  
  
Endymion blinked, and then tilted his head even more. "You like her, I take it?"  
  
Serin blushed even more fiercely, and nodded. It was at this point that Endymion smiled again, and then nodded. "I will work with your sister, and see what we can accomplish. Beyond that, all you can do is pray."  
  
Serin chuckled. "Like I haven't already. I've gone to the Royal Chapel more times than I care to remember, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. That's why I figured that I'd bring you and my sibling in on this."  
  
Endymion nodded, and was about to reply to that, when the sound of marching footsteps sounded on the stone walkway from around the corner. Serin grabbed the prince's arm and jerked his head in the other direction.  
  
"Come on, I know a way around the patrols!"  
  
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2008 years ago, in the Silver Millennium...  
  
Fidgeting in his formal wear, Serin turned to the prince once more and asked, "Are you certain this is going to work?"  
  
Sighing, Endymion nodded. "For the thousandth time, yes. She has expressed interest in you, and all you're doing is asking her for a dance, right?"  
  
Pressing his two pointer fingers against each other in a show of unease, Serin pressed, "Well, I just...you know, she's...I mean..."  
  
Letting out a short breath in annoyance, Endymion forcefully turned the guardsman around, and shoved him towards the area where the princess' ladies-in-waiting were standing around, chatting and laughing. This quickly stopped as Serin stumbled in their general direction, and he turned back to shoot a forceful glare at Endymion, who grinned broadly in response.  
  
The giggling behind him brought Serin back to the present, and he coughed, then turned to face Princess Jupiter. After giving himself a five count to calm his rapidly beating heart, he managed to gallantly extend his hand to her and ask, "M...may I have this dance, m'lady?" The unfortunate part about this was that his voice cracked on the last two words, which set off a new round of giggling, especially from Princess Venus, making Serin blush fiercely. He was, therefore, rather surprised when Princess Jupiter stepped forward, and softly placed her hand in his, replying, "I'd love to, kind sir."  
  
Just as they arrived on the dance floor, a new song began, which Serin recalled as a popular waltz from Earth. Frowning in suspicion, he glanced around for Endymion or his sister, and was unsurprised (and relieved) when he saw them dancing together near the stage. Turning his attention back to his partner, he smiled weakly, and whispered, "I can't lead."  
  
Jupiter giggled again, and whispered back, "Don't worry. Most of the men who ask me to dance can't lead, so I had to learn really fast. Ready?" And with that one warning, she launched into a fluid dance that Serin was able to keep up with, but not very easily.  
  
'She's good. I'd better not be caught slacking,' Serin thought. As he kept up with her movements, he found himself slowly relaxing, managing to listen more to the music than his inner doubts. As the first song wound to a close, Serin noted that his partner was not even attempting to leave the floor, which gave him the courage to ask if she would like to continue dancing with him, to which she agreed. As they danced to the second song, both parties began asking about the other, and learned a great deal. Before they knew it, the other partygoers had slowly disappeared until they were the only ones left on the dancing floor. It wasn't until the queen came up and tapped her son on the shoulder that either of them saw that only they, Endymion, Princess Serena and her court, and the queen were still here. Both blushed fiercely as the princess and her court began mercilessly teasing the pair about their obliviousness, and making comical notes about their 'romance'. Eventually, the humor died down, and Serin, acting in his capacity as an Imperial Guardsman, offered to escort everyone to their chambers. Predictably, the princess and Endymion declined, and bid everyone good night. Queen Serenity also declined the offer, as she stated that she had some business to go over with several delegates about the official announcement of her daughter's engagement to Endymion. After she left, Serin escorted the remaining ladies to their chambers, taking a route that would leave him and Princess Jupiter alone for a few brief moments. Along the way to her chambers, Serin stammered, "I...I...really h, had a good time tonight, princess."  
  
Jupiter smiled at him sidelong, and nodded. "So did I. You dance quite well for someone who feels they can't lead."  
  
Blushing fiercely again, Serin remained quiet until they reached her chambers. As the princess was about to close her doors, Serin blurted out, "Princess, may I call upon you tomorrow?"  
  
Smiling again through a blush, she replied, "Tomorrow I have several ceremonies that I must go with Princess Serenity to...but the next day I'll be free."  
  
Nodding stiffly, the guardsman said, "Then...the day after it is. Shall I call upon you at noon?"  
  
Jupiter agreed, and Serin quietly walked away until he heard her door close. Then, with a terrific leap, he vaulted into the air, and came down with a heavy crash.  
  
"YES!"  
  
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2000 years ago, during the Negaverse's assault...  
  
Serin ducked under several lances tossed his way, and charged at the throwers. As he came within range, he slashed furiously, cutting them down like wheat. Glaring every which way, he saw that for the moment, he was alone, and leapt up, with tremendous effort, to a nearby rooftop. As he touched down on the roof, a Dark Priest of the Negaverse materialized nearby. Serin didn't hesitate, but stabbed at the enemy's gut before the creature could even hope to react. Yanking his sword out with a fluid motion, Serin began hopping from rooftop to rooftop, dispatching as many Negaverse warriors as he could while at the same time attempting to reach the castle.  
  
'I can only hope that my mother and sister are okay...'  
  
Just as he got within the grounds, the Negaforce, which up to this point had been hovering malevolently over the entire moon, roared with malicious glee, and unleashed a blast so powerful that the very ground seemed to tremble. Despite his best attempts, Serin found himself collapsing to the ground, and almost immediately found a Negaverse sword at his neck. Remaining absolutely still, the guardsman slowly looked up at the sword's owner, who gazed amusedly at him from behind his dark-blue, hate-filled eyes, the gust from the explosion barely ruffling his short, blond hair.  
  
"Well, well...what have we here? A little fish who's soon to have no home?" the warrior mocked in a slightly raspy, yet suave, voice.  
  
Serin smirked, and said, "Actually, it looks like a paramecium pretending to be a man with a sense of humor."  
  
Jadeite growled loudly in response, and drove his sword forward, but only succeeded in scratching the side of Serin's neck as he rolled to the side with lightning speed. As he came to his feet, the guardsman smashed the hilt of his weapon into the Negaverse general's temple, which resulted in his opponent dropping like a sack of potatoes.  
  
Shaking his head, Serin gave a mock salute as he said, "The smarter they think they are, the easier it is to fool 'em."  
  
"Hahahaha...puny humans, your pathetic attacks mean nothing to me!"  
  
Serin's head snapped up as the Negaforce then unleashed another blast at the roof of the castle. His eyes widened and his face hardened in anger as he heard several distinct screams echo off the top, and began furiously looking around for a quick way up. As he began searching, several pieces of falling debris caught his eye. A brief flash of apprehension crossed his eyes, and then he leapt up to the lowest piece, immediately hopping up to the next highest one, continuing upward in this manner until he was finally able to hop onto the roof. Once he got there, his eyes widened in shock as he saw the five Senshi sprawled on the rooftop. A quick check revealed that four of the five Senshi were already dead, which made Serin grit his teeth in rage. His gaze then slowly wandered over to the remaining Senshi he hadn't managed to check on yet.  
  
Stumbling over as his eyes began misting with tears, Serin dropped to his knees beside the still form of Sailor Jupiter. His voice cracked as he said, "Princess...please say you're all right."  
  
For a few moments, the only sound that answered him was the roar of the Negaforce, as well as the cries of the Moon Kingdom soldiers who fell beneath the hordes of the Negaverse. Then, Jupiter suddenly groaned softly, and stirred. Serin took in a sharp breath, and gently helped her up. With a slight wince, the warrior-princess opened her eyes and smiled gently at her rescuer.  
  
"H...hi, Serin..."  
  
Shushing her, Serin voiced his concern. "Hey, sit still. I'll see if I can find a healer, okay?"  
  
Weakly shaking her head, the warrior-princess replied, "It's...too late...for me. Please...you have to...save your...sister..."  
  
Shaking his head furiously, Serin said, "No! I won't leave you! I can't!"  
  
Seemingly getting a burst of energy, Jupiter roughly shoved Serin away, and shouted, "GO! You have to protect the princess!!!" Collapsing heavily onto the roof, she whispered, "You...know...your true duty, Serin...just as...we did..."  
  
Torn between the two decisions facing him, Serin glanced back and forth between the woman in his arms, and the chambers of Princess Serenity. Finally, he bit his lip, and nodded. "All right. I'll...protect my sister, but immediately after that, I'm coming back to help you. Just...stay safe, okay? If...anything were to happen to you, I..."  
  
Jupiter smiled again, and lifted one of her gloved hands to gently stroke his cheek. "I...understand...Every...thing...fading..."  
  
Blinking back his growing tears, Serin leaned down, and gently kissed his beloved just as a blinding flash of light engulfed the entire kingdom. 


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven  
  
Present day...  
  
Just as Ryuhi and Sephiroth attempted to step forward and save their friends, the column of light that engulfed them suddenly disappeared, revealing the trio, bewildered but unharmed. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ryuhi cautiously took another step forward and tapped Serin on the shoulder. This startled the swordsman, who jerked and took a defensive stance for a brief second before he registered that it was his comrade.  
  
Relaxing his stance, Serin blew out a long breath. "Well, we got what we came for. So, let's get out for now."  
  
Ryuhi raised his hand, and declared, "Wait a minute. I, for one, am not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell just happened with that beam of light. Otherwise..."  
  
At that moment, the ground shook underneath them, forcing the entire party to their feet. After a brief respite, the ground resumed its trembling, as the party attempted, with some difficulty, to get to their feet. After a moment, they finally succeeded, and Urawa raised his staff above his head, shouting, "EXIT!" With a brief flash of light, and a tingle that ran through everyone's bodies, the party was instantaneously teleported outside the tower entrance.  
  
Ryuhi was the first to notice that there was something wrong, which was punctuated with the city trembling again, slewing dangerously to one side before steadying. A few lightning bolts struck near their position, causing a rain of debris to descend upon the group. Thankfully, between Urawa and Sephiroth's defensive magic, none of the members were injured. A gust of wind then ripped off the roofs from every one of the buildings, threatening at the same time to force the entire party off their feet; this time, upwards.  
  
"We have to get out of here," Sephiroth stated with his usual obvious logic. "Urawa, do the people here have an escape route?"  
  
Urawa nodded. "Hopefully, everyone got to the teleporters at the first sign of trouble. In any case, we've got to get out of here ourselves." As if to punctuate his comment, the city tilted further before stopping again, which caused Sailor Jupiter to rise up into the air on the currents. Making sure he had a strong grip on a doorjamb, Serin reached out for her hand, managing to snatch it on the first try. With a bit of effort, the newly minted paladin managed to bring his companion back to earth, and steady her. The grateful look she gave him stretched longer than necessary, but was soon interrupted by Ryuhi. "Let's go! There's no telling when this place is going to follow Humpty-Dumpty's example!" Just before the group started out to the airship's position, a sudden shout from overhead caught their attention.  
  
Up above, leaning out of the main hatch, was Princess Small Lady, waving her arms as she called out, "Hurry! Grab onto the rope ladder!"  
  
Nobody wasted a second, but immediately began to board their transport. Just as Urawa was about to embark, a sudden wail from behind them caught his attention. Turning, he saw a young child stumbling along, wailing for her mommy. With a quick shout over his shoulder, the white wizard declared, "I'm going to help her! Go ahead and get out of here now!"  
  
Before anyone could shout or even think of trying to stop or help, Urawa was off, scooping the child up and casting his Exit spell in one swift, fluid motion. Taking the wizard's words to heart, Ryuhi directed Cid to pilot the airship up and away from the city as it suddenly plummeted to the ground, creating a deafening crash, followed by a huge dust cloud. It was then, as the vehicle soared higher into the sky, that an amazing, and frightening, sight appeared.  
  
Hovering over the ruined city of Skyhaven was a female figure surrounded by a tornado of wind. On her face was a visage of malicious glee as she amusedly watched the airship attempt to escape. Gesturing with one finger, a blast of wind sent the transport into a tailspin, which their pilot barely managed to win against in his battle to keep them airborne.  
  
Serin unsheathed his new weapon and immediately headed for the ladder leading to the upper deck, only to be stopped short by a hand gripped around his wrist. Turning, he saw Kara holding fast, a look of confusion on her face.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?"  
  
Deciding to skip the more obvious question of how or why she was on their transport, Serin replied with a tightening of his face, and said, "To teach proper etiquette to that...thing. My first lesson is saying, 'I'm sorry.'"  
  
Kara's eyes widened, but as she was about to say something else, Sephiroth stepped up and said, "I'm going, too."  
  
Soon, Ryuhi nodded his agreement, and Jupiter and Endymion also demanded to join the upcoming battle. Debate was cut short by the buffeting winds created by the wind creature, so all five fighters quickly clambered up the ladder, leaving the young girl behind.  
  
Blinking slowly, she whispered seemingly to herself, "Those who are brave...are always the first to die."  
  
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Valvalis smirked as she saw the insignificant pests emerging from below the deck. Just as she'd expected, they had in fact survived. This made things even more fun for her. As long as she stayed out of the range of that sword, she had nothing to fear.  
  
Serin pursed his lips as he eyed the distance between his party and the creature. Thanks to the fight being in midair, any melee attacks were nullified. Glancing over at the others, he saw comprehending looks on all of them, save for Ryuhi, who was grinning as he cracked his knuckles. But before he could ask what the martial artist was smiling about, the creature laughed in a high feminine voice.  
  
"What fools! To think that you could get away from the wrath and power of Valvalis, the Fiend of the Air! You humans will be swept away by my strength, save for those who submit to Neo-Queen Serenity now!"  
  
Serin gritted his teeth and was about to make a properly sarcastic reply, but out of the corner of his eye he saw a blue blur arrow away from the group, and make a beeline toward the fiend, striking her square in the face. Several more quick blows were felt and heard by the audience as well as the victim, and even Sephiroth winced in sympathy as one particularly vicious punch finished off Ryuhi's attack. Floating in midair a mere five feet from the dazed fiend's face, Ryuhi laughed, and shouted, "And just in case you didn't understand that, maybe you understand this!" punctuating his statement with a double universal gesture.  
  
Valvalis recovered just in time to see the insolent attacker mock her, and with a mere gesture of her own, she surrounded him with a tornado, spinning him around for a loop briefly before dissipating with no ill effects apparently cast on the warrior. Glancing at himself briefly, Ryuhi noted with some shock that he suddenly felt weaker, and it was taking all of his concentration to stay afloat.  
  
Valvalis chuckled, and with a simple gust of wind, sent the young pup crashing into the ground far below. His comrades raced to the edge of the airship's deck in time to see their friend vanish against the expanse of ground. Expectantly, they waited for Ryuhi to fly up and reappear, but several moments passed, and nothing happened. With a growl, Serin whipped his sword out in front of him, and focused his power into it, making it shine even brighter than it had before. With a vicious swing, he shouted, "Lunar Beam!", releasing the energy in a powerful wave that smashed into Valvalis, who was too mesmerized by the sight to even attempt to block or dodge. Staggering back, the Air Fiend gritted her teeth in rage, and pointed with one finger, sending several bolts of lightning crashing into the deck and those on it. Endymion managed to stumble to his feet, and flung several roses at their opponent, but the fiend merely laughed and scattered them with another gust of wind.  
  
This prompted Jupiter to immediately follow up the king's attack with one of her own, and fired off a Sparkling Wide Pressure attack, which caught her target in the shoulder, prompting a scream of pain and outrage from Valvalis. Sephiroth managed to grab her attention at that point, though he used an explosion of fire to further injure her, instead of his usual lightning magic.  
  
Growling with frustration, Valvalis sent another funnel of wind at the party, this time targeting Endymion. The king, weak as he was, immediately collapsed as the attack drained what strength he had left. Horrified, Serin again used his sword beam to strike at the fiend again, though this time it was only marginally successful, as Valvalis managed to dodge the brunt of the attack. Chuckling with sadistic glee, the fiend spoke again: "Well, I think I've hit upon the perfect method for getting rid of you now. Hope you don't feel too disappointed."  
  
Before she could cast another attack, however, an olive-skinned, horned demon charged through the fiend, leaving behind a literal flash fire in his wake. When the fire itself disappeared, Serin, Sephiroth and Jupiter noted that Valvalis seemed to be severely weakened by the attack. Turning to Sephiroth, Jupiter asked, "Did you do that?"  
  
Stunned, Sephiroth could only shake his head. It was then that a voice from behind caught their attention.  
  
"That's my handiwork."  
  
The trio turned to see Kara standing at the door, her green robes and white-green hair fluttering in the wind. She smirked as she added, "I hope this isn't a private dance."  
  
After absorbing the comment, the party chuckled, and Serin nodded. "We could use all the help we can get with her. Feel free to cut in."  
  
Kara curtsied, and took up a position behind the others, readying another magic spell as Jupiter fired one more Sparkling Wide Pressure, and Sephiroth used his fire attack again. Valvalis, who was getting weakened and desperate, used her lightning attack again, severely injuring everyone save for Kara, who managed to concentrate on her spell, and let loose a blast that coalesced into a figure on horseback who calmly floated in between the two sides, a large glowing red lance in one hand. Pulling on the reins to his stead, the figure managed to lean back, and throw his weapon high into the sky, all without falling off. As he did so, a circular ray of light shone on Valvalis, who was beside herself with confusion, despite her injuries, all the more so when the figure disappeared, horse and all. It was then that a whistling sound could be heard, and the lance plunged through the fiend's body, effectively pinning her to the ground below. A moment passed, but suddenly a scream of pure rage sounded throughout the air, and blasts of lightning rained down from the sky. Despite the airship's best attempts, and Cid's superior piloting, several bolts struck the engine section, causing it to explode.  
  
Motionless, the airship hung in midair for a few brief seconds, then began arrowing down to earth, picking up speed with every second. As Serin and his friends attempted to get in crash positions as best they could, the airship finally reached the end of its journey and with a long, bone- jarring screech of broken metal, punctuated by the snaps of sparking electronics and the occasional crunch of crushed machinery, the transport came to a halt.  
  
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It was a long time before anyone felt like moving, and even then, most wished they hadn't. Groaning, a good share of the crew stumbled out of the lower areas, with some supporting their companions outside, then heading back in to get the other injured. Princess Small Lady came out in the middle of the bustle, and Jupiter ran up to hug her in relief. It was then that the princess noticed her father lying unconscious where Sephiroth had cushioned him, and she immediately ran over to check on him. Cid was one of the last out, and he shook his head, saying something in his unique language. Sephiroth appeared to ask a query, and got another shake of the head in response. Turning to his friends with a sour expression, the swordsman stated, "Our mechanic-pilot tells me that the airship is finished. It would take him a year to replace the engine, and that's not all that needs to be done before this will fly again."  
  
Serin blinked in shock, and looked down at his sword. 'Have we come this far, only to be stopped just short of our goal?'  
  
Just as he was about to vocalize his concerns, a flash of light heralded the arrival of Urawa and several Skyhaven citizens. The citizens quickly spread out to administer first- aid to the injured, though Urawa headed towards Endymion with a look of shock and concern on his face. Leaning down, he checked the king's pulse, blew out a sigh of relief, and then closed his eyes, focusing his power, which formed a glowing aura around his hand. With a flexing of his hand, several spots of colored light swirled around the injured king, restoring the shine and color to his skin. Urawa then leaned back, as Endymion stirred and slowly sat up, his daughter squealing in delight at her father's recovery. Leaping forward, she hugged him as he grunted in surprise, and glanced around.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Sephiroth stated rather bluntly, "You were caught in one of Valvalis' stronger attacks, which instantly drained you of your energy." Blinking, he looked over at Serin sharply. "Ryuhi. He's still down! We have to see what we can do for him!"  
  
Fortunately, the airship's wreckage wasn't too far from the warrior's landing site, and so Urawa, Serin, and Sephiroth were able to quickly reach their comrade. A preliminary check of Ryuhi's vitals confirmed Serin's worst fears...the martial artist was dead. Sephiroth slowly turned away at the bad news, his knuckles turning white where he gripped his sword. Urawa, however, stepped forward and knelt at Ryuhi's side, closing his eyes. After a brief moment, they snapped open, and he strained his muscles, growling with the effort. A bright aura of white began covering his body as he screamed in pain upon the aura sliding through his arms and into his comrade's body. The tableau was held for a few brief moments until the young wizard fell back, unconscious. The two swordsmen looked at each in confusion for a few minutes before Ryuhi began stirring slightly. This grabbed their attention, and prompted them to return to everyone else with their two unconscious friends.  
  
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Meanwhile...  
  
Neo-Queen Serenity slumped back in her throne in defeat as she viewed the results of Valvalis' attack. Not only had she failed to stop them from acquiring the paladin of legend, but now they had killed yet another of her strongest warriors. That left her with one fiend, and though he was the strongest of them all, the queen had her doubts as to whether even he would be able to handle them. Added to that was the undeniable fact that they would most likely be on their way back to Crystal Tokyo to confront her. The very idea was laughable, and yet, if the legends were true...  
  
Pursing her lips, Serenity suddenly jerked as her holoprojector fizzled into life, and Zemus' image appeared. Though he normally always scowled, his face seemed even angrier this time.  
  
"Serenity...you have been lacking in your daily updates. Is there something wrong?"  
  
The queen swallowed as she knelt before her master, and stated, "Yes, master. It seems...that one of the senshi escaped soon after I dispatched your special forces to capture them."  
  
Zemus growled deep in his throat at this revelation, but nodded for his subordinate to continue.  
  
"Furthermore...my general, Sephiroth has sided with said senshi, Jupiter, along with the king, several hundred civilians, a martial artist, and two magic users, as well as...a...a paladin." Reflexively, she cringed, expecting an outburst of expression.  
  
She was not disappointed.  
  
"NO! It can't be! I won't allow it! How? How did this happen?!?"  
  
Serenity swallowed again, reminding herself that her master could do nothing to her at the moment...at least, she hoped that was the case. "Apparently, Sailor Jupiter was tipped off as to the existence of the paladin by one of their cat advisors. Though two of my...I mean your, fiends were able to attack them before they could find the final location of the paladin, neither Milon nor Cagnazzo were successful in neutralizing them. And once they were joined by the paladin, even Valvalis was powerless against their combined strength."  
  
Zemus slammed his fist against an unseen surface, his features tightening in anger. "Then you're on your own." And with that, the image fizzled out and vanished.  
  
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At the same time, a much different conversation was taking place, in two entirely different locations.  
  
'Hello, Saturn-chan.'  
  
Hotaru instantly jerked awake, glancing around the cell for anyone who might have entered, but saw only her companions, who were all asleep for the moment. She frowned in confusion, but jerked in surprise again as she heard the voice once more.  
  
'Don't act so surprised. You should know that I have a bit of telepathic ability, after we were...linked.'  
  
Hotaru blinked, then whispered, "Sephiroth?"  
  
'Unless someone else has telepathic abilities, I'd say that's a pretty safe guess. How are you doing, Saturn-chan?"  
  
"Okay, I guess..."  
  
'Sh, keep it down. Better yet, keep it mental, so we don't have to worry about anyone eavesdropping.'  
  
Hotaru frowned in confusion for a moment, then tried thinking, 'Okay.'  
  
'There, now, that's not so hard, is it?' Sephiroth replied with a mental laugh.  
  
'I've done harder things. So, what's going on?'  
  
The equivalent of a mental sigh came through before Sephiroth updated Hotaru on everything that had occurred since his departure: namely, the attack of Milon, the rescue of King Endymion and Princess Small Lady from Cagnazzo, finding Urawa, and his startling revelation that Serin was indeed the Paladin of legend.  
  
'I must admit that when you and your advisors were discussing the possibility earlier, I was skeptical, especially considering that he didn't seem to have any real special powers. But when I saw the proof with my own eyes, well...'  
  
Hotaru smirked, and replied, 'Well, that'll teach you to doubt us, then.'  
  
Sephiroth laughed, and answered, 'Touché.' A moment passed, during which the young senshi braced herself for bad news. 'Unfortunately, none of this does us a lick of good unless we can straighten Serenity out, and to do that, we need transportation to Crystal Tokyo.'  
  
'What about that airship you guys stole?'  
  
'It'll take our mechanic about a year plus to repair it, since when Valvalis died, she cast a barrage of lightning bolts that took out the engine and several other critical components.'  
  
Hotaru lowered her head, and asked, 'Then...what will you do now?'  
  
'...All we can do now is pray...for a miracle...'  
  
Hotaru then nodded, and spoke, 'Sephiroth...'  
  
'Yeah?'  
  
'When we...were linked...I saw that you...had feelings for me.'  
  
Silence pervaded her mind for a moment, and so Hotaru forged on with the rest of her question.  
  
'I...I'm not sure how I feel about that, but...why me? I never thought of myself as...'  
  
'Sh, I won't have any of that, Saturn-chan.'  
  
With a giggle, she corrected him, 'Call me Hotaru.'  
  
'Okay, Hotaru-chan. In any event...sighthe whole thing really started out, I think, as a crush. I did, and still do, see you as very attractive.' At that, Hotaru blushed as Sephiroth continued, 'I didn't really think we had much in common until we became linked. After...after I saw what you had gone through...I realized that we have more in common than either of us realized. You see...I lost my mother shortly after I was born, too.'  
  
Hotaru blinked, and said, 'Oh god, Seph, I'm sorry...'  
  
'SighIt's okay, Hotaru-chan. I've long since learned to live with the pain. What I hadn't been able to live with, however, is my father's attitude.'  
  
Hotaru frowned at that. 'What do you mean?'  
  
'After mother died...he simply didn't care. All he cared about was research, and furthering his career in science. And...I was part of some of those experiments.'  
  
Hotaru gasped in shock, her eyes brimming with tears as she recalled some of the experiments that she had been subjected to when her father had still been under the influence of Mistress 9.  
  
'Sephiroth...I...I'm so sorry...I just...I didn't know...'  
  
Sephiroth gave the impression of a mental smile, and said, 'Don't worry about it. I just told you so you would know...it's...kind of nice to know that at least someone else can relate. At least I'll have someone to talk to, if I ever get...'  
  
'Suicidal or depressed?'  
  
'...Yeah. And...I would really enjoy helping you...and having you help me.'  
  
Both companions were silent for a long time, before Hotaru finally spoke again: 'Sephiroth? I...can't imagine...being there for anyone else... '  
  
'Thanks...Hotaru.' 


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve  
  
Ryuhi wandered through the wreckage of what had once been the Desert Fox clan's pride and joy, shaking his head in regret. Truth be told, he was still a bit shaken from his close brush with death, and was hoping to walk off his nightmarish experience.  
  
Clenching his fist, he angrily smashed it downward into a chunk of metal. He was quite surprised when he saw that it was instantly compacted into a pancake several inches into the ground. Blinking a few times, Ryuhi looked down at his fist in total shock.  
  
'I was never this strong before...I wonder how...' At that moment, a thought occurred to him.  
  
'Could it be that when I get injured and then healed...?' A wicked grin split his face, and he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. 'Even if I don't get anything else out of this trip, it'll be worth it just to get stronger.'  
  
At the same time, Serin was admiring his weapon as he stood on a nearby cliff. A sudden scrape on rock caught his attention, and he smiled.  
  
"Trying to sneak up on me, Mako-chan?" he asked, as he turned to face her.  
  
Jupiter smiled in return, and shook her head. "No. Actually, I was just wondering where you were. I was worried about you."  
  
There might have been something more in her voice, or Serin might have been imagining it, but he didn't want to take the chance. Fortunately, he didn't have to.  
  
Wrapping her arms around him, Jupiter hugged Serin tightly, as if she were afraid to let go. Serin took his cue at that point, and returned the hug, kissing her forehead as he did so. The two lovers gazed at each other with matching grins, before Serin playfully tickled Jupiter's ribs again, causing her to jerk away with a laugh. Smiling gently this time, Serin pulled her close once more, and kissed her passionately. Jupiter, in turn, wrapped her arms around his neck, and returned the token with equal fervor. They might have continued like that indefinitely, had it not been for a shout catching their attention.  
  
Reluctantly breaking off the kiss, both parties turned to see Urawa running toward them, a look of excitement on his face. "Hey, guys, you're not going to believe this!"  
  
Rolling his eyes, Serin replied, "Unless it has something to do with getting into Crystal Tokyo, Urawa, I don't want to hear about it."  
  
Chuckling, Urawa replied, "As a matter of fact, it does! And it involves your sword!"  
  
Serin blinked, and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Come again?"  
  
"I was talking with several of our scholars just now, and they told me that there is an airship nearby! And that your sword is the key to getting it!"  
  
Blinking in confusion, Serin looked at his sword, then back up at Urawa. "Okay...I don't suppose they told you how I'm supposed to use it to get that airship, did they?"  
  
Grabbing his arm, the white wizard urged, "Come on, they'll guide you through the process!"  
  
A few moments later, Serin, his comrades, and one of Skyhaven's scholars were standing at the peak of a cliff that overlooked the remains of a lake that had long since crystallized. The scholar in question spoke: "Paladin, your Crystal Sword holds a fraction of the power of the Silver Imperium Crystal. With that power, and your mixed heritage, you can call forth your transport...the Big Whale awaits you."  
  
Several amused snorts were heard behind everyone at the airship's name, and both Serin and the elder turned to see everyone studiously looking away, with abnormally straight faces. The elder nodded, and smirked. "Hey, I didn't name it. I've never even seen the thing, so maybe there's a good reason that it's called the Big Whale."  
  
Sephiroth nodded, speaking for all of them. "Of course."  
  
Serin, still unsure what to do, stepped up to the edge of the cliff, brandishing his sword out in front of him. As he pointed it toward the crystalline waters, it suddenly shone brighter, dazzling everyone present. As if in answer, deep within the layers of crystal, another light began glowing brighter in turn. Grasping his weapon's hilt with both hands, the paladin raised the sword above his head, and willed his strength into it. In response, the sword began shining even brighter, as well as its answering beacon. Added to that was several cracks forming on the lake surface, that grew longer and wider as both lights began to increase in intensity. Finally, a form erupted out of its crystal prison, shattering the topmost layer. As everyone ducked, the ship slowly rose, and then came to a landing behind them, at the bottom of the hill that they had climbed.  
  
Everyone slowly came to their feet and gazed at this new mode of transportation that they had acquired. Several moments passed before Serin spoke. "Well...I guess we know why they call it the Big Whale..."  
  
The crowd could only nod in agreement as they stared at the vehicle. Despite it's purple paint job and obviously mechanical appearance, the airship did indeed resemble a whale. As they watched, a ramp slowly descended from the transport's side, hitting the ground with an audible 'thump'.  
  
Curiosity driving him to explore, Serin motioned everyone to stay where they were, and approached the vehicle cautiously. As he paused outside the hatchway, two pairs of footsteps came up behind him, one trying to be quiet and failing, and the other calm and assured, apparently uncaring if it was heard. Turning his head slightly, the paladin said, "I thought I told you to stay back."  
  
Sephiroth shrugged and smirked. "You may be a paladin now, but you're still human. You'll need someone to watch your back."  
  
Jupiter crossed her arms over her chest and stated in a no-nonsense tone of voice, "And don't even think that you can talk me out of going with you. We go together now, no matter what."  
  
Smiling slightly, Serin nodded in mock-resignation, and motioned them up to the hatch's sides as he stepped in. Within seconds after arriving in position, their comrade stepped inside. After a few long seconds, a low whistle was heard from inside, which prompted the pair to follow. What greeted them only encouraged them to emulate Serin's whistle of amazement.  
  
The inside was purely hi-tech, with monitor screens and controls everywhere, showing and controlling many different aspects of the ship, though some were marked in a language that the trio could only guess was Lunarian. The important aspects and controls, however, were translated, so no one saw any need to tempt fate by tampering with the unknown controls, including the giant crystal that was suspended in the center of the bridge.  
  
After surveying their new mode of transportation, Serin clapped his hands together. "Pardon me if I'm being a bit premature on this, but I think we've got a chance to save the other Guardians now."  
  
Jupiter nodded, smiling broadly. "We can do it."  
  
Sephiroth capped the brief summary nicely by adding, "The faint glimmer of hope is about to become reality."  
  
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Within a day, final preparations for the group's arrival at Crystal Tokyo were finished. After a lot of discussion, it was suggested that only Cid would come with the group, in order to pilot the ship, or fix something, should it need a little maintenance. This set off a new round of complaints, mostly from Kara, who demanded that she be brought in on this. Sephiroth agreed with her, pointing out that the more people they had in an assault group, the better their chances were at getting through to the castle. Finally, it was agreed that the assault party would consist of Kara, Sephiroth, Jupiter, Endymion, Serin (of course), Ryuhi, and Urawa. Though there was some complaining from Small Lady, she was eventually brought around to seeing things from her father's point of view. Serin stood back during the whole proceedings, deciding not to get involved with his newfound family yet. He'd save that surprise for when everyone else was present, saving him from having to explain everything over and over again.  
  
Once that was taken care of, Sephiroth posed an interesting question: "How do we get in?"  
  
Jupiter looked up at the tall swordsman and frowned. "What do you mean, 'How do we get in?'. Is there something you haven't told us about?"  
  
Sephiroth adopted a sheepish look at that, and nodded. "Actually, yes. Serenity had locked all gates leading into the city when I left, and has heavy patrols around the clock all along the walls. And last I checked, there weren't exactly any helipads or large open areas where the," and with a gesture of disgust, he finished, "Big Whale will fit."  
  
Serin slowly smiled as an idea came to mind. "I've got an idea."  
  
The grin on his face unnerved his comrades as they turned to look at him. "What do you suggest?" Urawa asked.  
  
"How many of you like to go parachuting?"  
  
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As the Big Whale hovered over the city under the cover of night, Sephiroth glared at his comrade.  
  
"I'd still like to know how you talked me into this."  
  
Serin sighed, and shrugged. "You had your chance to come up with a better idea, and you didn't. If you came up with one now, it's too late. Besides, this is the last thing that anyone would think of..."  
  
Ryuhi muttered, "Anyone in their right mind, anyway."  
  
A light smack upside the head from Jupiter silenced him, who, despite her earlier problems with air travel, was holding up remarkably well, regardless of the knowledge that they were all about to voluntarily jump out of an airship several thousand feet above the ground. "Hey, knock it off, everyone. Serin's right, you had your chance, and you blew it. Besides, we'll be able to easily get into the city this way, and with luck, we should be able to make it to the castle without any problems."  
  
Sephiroth snorted, and muttered, "In my experience, there's no such thing as luck...only extraordinary opportunities."  
  
Serin sighed again, and said, "Hey, let's show some optimism, all right?" Checking his ripcord, the paladin then glanced over at everyone else's, insuring that they were all right as well, before reaching down and attempting to pull open the hatch. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he pulled, the door refused to open.  
  
Then Ryuhi reached over, putting his hand on the latch, and shaking his head. "Man, I don't know why I'm helping you go through with this crazy scheme of yours," he muttered. With a slight grunt of exertion, he opened the exit, causing a huge gust of air to blow around in the tiny space he and his comrades sat in.  
  
Standing briefly in the open hatchway, the martial artist then spread out his arms, and dropped, spread-eagled, down into the city, opening his chute approximately halfway down.  
  
Serin quickly followed suit, though he waited until he was a quarter of the way to the ground before opening his parachute. Jupiter, Endymion, Kara and Urawa quickly followed suit, all three pulling their ripcords immediately upon exiting their transport.  
  
Sephiroth, however, waited until everyone was approximately level with Crystal Tokyo's residences, and then dropped out, in a type of missile dive, accelerating his descent. When he was even with the top of the few business buildings in the utopian city, Sephiroth finally yanked open his chute, slowing his plunge just enough so that when he reached the ground, the shock felt like it was just shy of breaking his legs in half. The swordsman, however, had been used to such combat drops for some time now, and barely flinched or otherwise reacted to the pain. As he got up from the crouch he had used to absorb some of the impact, his comrades were either just reaching the ground, or disentangling themselves from their chutes. After about five minutes, everyone crowded around for a brief strategy session.  
  
Serin quickly took charge. "Okay, we got a few minutes before any troops show up to investigate. The way I figure it, one big group is going to be a bit too obvious. So, we'll have to split up into three pairs, with one of us going solo. I'm not about to ask for a volunteer on that, so I'll be the one to go solo."  
  
Jupiter shot a surprised look at her love. "What? Why?"  
  
Serin quickly and patiently explained, "Because, Jupiter, you, Sephiroth, Endymion and I know our way around Crystal Tokyo, while Kara, Ryuhi and Urawa don't. Somebody needs to go with them to help with navigation, if nothing else."  
  
Unhappily, the warrior-princess nodded in reluctant agreement. Showing a brief flash of concern, Serin looked over at the three party members in question. "Do any of you know how to get to the castle from here?"  
  
The trio shook their heads, which led Serin to nod unhappily as well. "All right, Urawa, you're with Jupiter. You take care of her, or I will have your head." The white wizard flashed a knowing grin at his comrade, and stepped up to his partner's side. "Kara, you go with Sephiroth...which reminds me, do you have a weapon?"  
  
The summoner raised an eyebrow, and pulled out a long length of whip from a pocket in her robes that seemed to pulse energy. Flicking it with practiced ease at a nearby sign, the whip suddenly erupted in flames as it struck the intended target, leaving a noticeable singe upon the metal. Coiling the lengths around her hand, she then smirked, and waited expectantly.  
  
Having been surprised with many other things during the day, Serin and the others barely raised an eyebrow at the display. "Right. Ryuhi, obviously, you're with the king. Take good care of him, as well. If nothing else, we'll need him to try and talk sense into Serenity." Clapping his hands softly, he finished with, "All right people, let's split up, and meet in front of the castle gates in twenty minutes. If anyone gets there early..."  
  
Sephiroth interjected at this point, stating, "That's a good way to get killed."  
  
Stopping his outline, the paladin looked up at his comrade and asked, "Look, Seph, I know that's not the brightest plan in the world, but it's not like the castle has a back door..."  
  
"That's funny. Because I happen to know that there is, in fact, a 'back way'. Plus, we'll be passing by the dungeon on our way in to the throne room, and can thus free the other senshi. Even if they don't fight any of Serenity's creatures, they too should be able to talk some sense into the queen."  
  
Endymion slowly sized up his comrade, his eyes slightly narrowing as he did so. "You seem to have an unusual amount of knowledge about the castle for a simple soldier, Sephiroth."  
  
For his part, the former general simply shrugged. "I make it a point to take in all possible contingencies when I can...which is one reason among many why Serin and Guardian Jupiter were able to make it this far."  
  
Blinking at that, Serin set aside the most recent comments to ask why his friend hadn't mentioned the extra entrance before, but stopped himself.  
  
'It would be just like him, the king or even Ryuhi to be a smartass and say 'Because you didn't ask.'' Shaking out of his reverie, the warrior then nodded. "All right, then, where is this secret back door?"  
  
"On the left side of the castle, almost completely covered by some hedges. However, if you really want to split up, then there is yet another way into the castle dungeon...but I have to say it really stinks."  
  
Kara blinked, then asked, "What do you mean, Sephiroth?"  
  
Sephiroth wordlessly walked over to a nearby manhole and pointed at it. The implications were obvious, and reaction was typical.  
  
Kara turned a shade of green that matched her robes at the thought, and looked back up at her partner. "I hope you aren't asking what I think you are."  
  
Sephiroth shrugged. "The way I see it, only Urawa and I know healing spells. I think that this was another reason that Serin split us up the way he did."  
  
Actually, it wasn't, but Serin saw no need to bring that point up, and instead let it slide.  
  
Kara glanced over the rest of her comrades before sighing, and gesturing impatiently to the manhole. "I just hope nobody here flushes baby alligators down the toilet..."  
  
Before anything else could be said, several shouts became audible, and slowly increased in volume.  
  
Serin turned quickly at that, and began snapping off orders quietly. "Seph, Kara, go through the sewers. The rest of us will meet you in the dungeon. Urawa, Jupiter, head off to the east, and we'll meet you at the side entrance. Ryuhi, highness, same goes for you two, except head to the west. Okay?"  
  
After getting quick acknowledgements, the four groups departed in their separate directions, hoping against hope that they would be able to meet up as planned...  
  
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Meanwhile...  
  
Serenity watched calmly as the intruders into her city split up in four groups as they made their way to the castle. For a brief moment, she debated ordering her contingents to pull back to the castle, but shook her head. No, the best thing to do now was let them meet scattered resistance along the way, weakening them as they went. In fact, now that she really thought about it, she might as well release her cache of elite troopers, which hopefully would be enough to eliminate one or even all of them, save for the traitor and that girl in the sewers. She knew that what was going on with their comrades would be the least of their worries...  
  
At any rate, should any survivors make it to the castle, she would let them meet her little 'surprise', and that would be that.  
  
Nodding to herself, and laughing softly, she continued observing the interlopers' movements, laughing again at their naiveté as they moved on, totally oblivious to the fact that they were being watched...  
  
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Serin glanced around as he finished dispatching yet another of Serenity's Enforcers, hoping to see some sign of life beyond the usual movement of troops. Though he didn't see what he wanted to, the maneuver saved his life.  
  
Reacting within a split-second, Serin leaned to the left, pulling his right leg away from the impact point of the axe that just narrowly avoided making him half a man. Leaping in the same direction, Serin put a little more distance between himself and the attacker, and took a good first look at his opponent.  
  
In another split-second, he had to wonder how Serenity managed to get a hold of a minotaur, which was all the time he got before the hair on the back of his neck stood up, making him leap to his right this time, as a huge broadsword gouged a long incision in the ground where the paladin had been standing. Breathing heavily, Serin saw that his new attacker was dressed as a medieval knight, wearing full red armor, complete with helmet, and carrying a shield that was half as tall as he was. Gritting his teeth, the paladin weighed his options, and was just about to implement a plan of his, when approximately five troopers with blaster rifles took up various positions around the minotaur and knight. Readying their weapons with a cacophony of clicks and hums, Serin found himself staring down five barrels ready to spit lasers at him, which was five more than he wanted at the moment.  
  
Weighing his new options, Serin noted with irritation that there were simply too many of them to use his Lunar Beam technique effectively, and that using the Crescent Slash would be counterproductive, since he might be able to hit the knight or minotaur, maybe both, before being cut down by laser blasts.  
  
That left him with only one option, which he knew was probably going to cost him.  
  
Holding his sword straight up in front of his face, Serin infused himself with the sword's power, dulling his sense of pain. Once he felt sure that he was ready, the paladin charged the group, ducking under the initial, panicked shots. Though he knew that they would soon correct for the mistake, Serin didn't intend to give them the time.  
  
Leaping up over the heads of the soldiers, the warrior noted his first almost-mistake, and twisted in mid-air to narrowly avoid the knight's sword swinging through the space that Serin had just been about to occupy. Categorizing his opponents in order of danger posed, Serin immediately thrust his sword at the knight upon touching the ground, managing to catch his target in the side.  
  
The knight lurched away from his opponent, his shield shifting to cover the wounded area as he retreated. That gave Serin a bit more breathing room, and enabled him to use his technique to full effect.  
  
Utilizing all of the skill that he had accumulated in this lifetime and during the Silver Millennium, Serin turned and dealt a heavy blow to the minotaur, who had been extremely slow to react to the presence of an enemy in their midst. Catching the bull-man in the chest, Serin immediately turned to the riflemen, who still had looks of amazement on their otherwise blank faces. With several quick strikes, three went down without a struggle, but the fourth managed to quickly snap up his weapon and fire a shot.  
  
The laser bolt managed to hit at a weak point in the crystal armor, piercing through and leaving the paladin with a nasty burn wound. This, however, didn't even slow the warrior down, as he swung his sword again, taking down the last riflemen seconds later.  
  
As he turned to the knight, however, Serin felt himself being lifted off of the ground, and tossed into a nearby building. Caught entirely by surprise, the paladin could do nothing to protect himself, and ended up crashing into the wall heavily, leaving a sizeable dent in the brick construction.  
  
Even through his Crystal-induced 'numbness', Serin was slow to regain his feet, and by the time he did, the minotaur had its axe over its head, and was tensing his muscles to bring it crashing down.  
  
Just before the weapon moved, however, a disc of lightning struck the bull-man in the face, eliciting a lowing of pain from the creature as it staggered back.  
  
Blinking in shock, Serin prepared to resume his attack, when a sword came out of nowhere to decapitate the minotaur's head. Serin ducked reflexively as he saw the weapon, then noticed that the knight had saved him. Just as the paladin was about to ask why, the knight then took the sword, and thrust it point first into its own chest, easily cutting through the armor. As it collapsed to the ground, it, the riflemen's remains, and the minotaur disintegrated into dust.  
  
Turning to look behind him, Serin wasn't the least bit surprised to see Jupiter and Urawa rushing up to him, with looks of concern on their faces. It was at that point that the pain of his wounds really hit, and forced the paladin to his knees, as he attempted to bite back a scream.  
  
Urawa quickly and methodically examined the visible wound before pressing on his comrade's side, which elicited an outcry from the paladin. Jupiter stood hovering over the entire proceeding, looking as if her world was coming to an end...which, for her, it would if Serin died.  
  
Urawa then concentrated, and a glowing multicolored light surrounded his hand as he again pressed it to Serin's side. This time, the warrior didn't react as badly, letting the magic flow into his body. Within a matter of seconds, the wizard moved his hand to the blaster wound, and after a brief moment of healing, let the power burn out.  
  
Serin twisted his torso quickly, checking for broken bones, or any other injuries he should know about, then raised an eyebrow at his comrades.  
  
"Thanks, but shouldn't you two be somewhere else?"  
  
Urawa spread his hands innocently as he backed up. "Hey, don't look at me, boss. I tried to tell her, but she was adamant about staying with you. Believe me, you don't want to make her mad."  
  
Jupiter playfully swatted the wizard, then turned to her love. "Serin-kun, I...you stayed with me back then, even though you knew better...you wanted to protect me. I want to return the favor. I don't care about sneaking to the castle in smaller groups, I just want to be with you...no matter what." Shyly, she added, "Isn't that what wedding vows say? '''Til death do us part.'?"  
  
Blinking slowly, Serin finally responded with, "You know, Mako-chan, this is one hell of a time to suggest that I propose to you. And it wasn't exactly the surroundings I wanted, either."  
  
This time, it was Jupiter's turn to blink as she realized what Serin was saying. But, before she could respond, Serin winked, and added, "Let's save it for now."  
  
Her heart feeling like it was going to beat right out of her chest, Jupiter nodded as her love turned to their comrade, who had been watching the events with a sort of half-smile. "Alright, let's keep moving. There's no telling how many of these things there are, and if need be, we may have to assist and rejoin with the rest of our friends." Sighing, he added, "I only hope that Sephiroth and Kara aren't having as much trouble..."  
  
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Sloshing through the sewer water, Kara finally gave up on trying to keep her robes above the repugnant liquid, and let them hang, dragging through the waste. Her initial efforts had been to tie them above her knees, which hampered her movements when the first monster attacks came. That skirmish left her with a bad gouge in her shoulder, but Sephiroth had quickly cast a Cure spell on it, healing the wound without the slightest scar.  
  
Afterwards, Kara then tried carrying her robes above the water, but felt rather silly looking like a lady of royalty hurrying through the halls of the palace. Added to that was the problem that she couldn't attack or even cast magic while holding them, so she was left with no other choice than to drop them in the foul water each time they entered into combat. After about the third attack, she finally gave up, and simply let her robes hang. She could see about getting a new set made later.  
  
'One thing's for sure, I'm not going to be able to get the grime and smell out of these,' the summoner thought with a grimace. It had taken her quite a bit of time to get used to the stench, but she still made a point of breathing through her mouth just to avoid any nasty odors from surprising her. Sephiroth, however, hadn't opened his mouth more than a few times during their trek, and those were mostly along the lines of directing her where to go, or coordinating their attacks. It still amazed the young summoner when she saw the swordsman in action, magically or physically. Either way, he appeared to be completely unbeatable.  
  
Kara's reverie was broken when she bumped into her companion from behind, knocking her back a step, but barely budging the tall warrior. Looking up and around at his face, she saw a look of intense concentration...but he suddenly frowned, and slowly brought his Masamune sword into his ready stance. Following his lead, Kara pulled out her Flame Whip, and readied a quick spell to fling, though with the monsters down here, it didn't seem to do much more than weaken them. Still, she was bound and determined to do her part.  
  
Several minutes passed as the two remained frozen in their respective combat stances, waiting for their attackers to appear. It was at this point that Kara asked, "Are you pulling a joke on me? Even simple spells are difficult to maintain for long."  
  
Sephiroth slowly shook his head. In a focused voice, he replied, "I heard something sloshing around just ahead. Unless Serin and the others have followed our lead and somehow gotten ahead of us, it has to be another monster."  
  
Nodding, Kara kept her eyes focused on the darkened expanse in front of them, when suddenly she glanced at the water at their feet and noticed that it was quite a bit higher than it was before. Whistling to get her companion's attention, she pointed down at the water, and then raised an eyebrow questioningly.  
  
Sephiroth's widening eyes and quick nod gave her the confirmation she needed to quickly jump out of the viscous liquid onto a nearby pile of solid garbage. Unfortunately, as she landed on the mass of refuse, she slipped, falling on her back with a loud splash into the water.  
  
Though it happened suddenly, as Kara quickly sat up, spluttering and coughing, she saw Sephiroth stepping forward to help her before being wrapped up by a thick, ropy tentacle that yanked him under.  
  
With a surge of adrenaline, Kara clambered to her feet and began searching through the waters for her comrade, wildly waving her arms through the waste. At one point, she thought that she had found his deformed body, but with a mixture of relief and newfound fear, she pulled up his Masamune sword.  
  
Glancing around while nervously chewing her lip, Kara finally situated herself on a piece of garbage above the water table, and chanted a moderately powerful spell, casting Bolt 2 into the waste. For a moment, the entire length of the tunnel glowed from the electricity that was being conducted, but the light quickly died down as the summoner nervously waited for any developments.  
  
After a few minutes passed, a gasping, stumbling Sephiroth appeared right next to Kara, trying to pull off the tentacle that had somehow stayed wrapped around his throat. After the initial shock passed, the young summoner hopped down, and assisted her friend in pulling off the offending appendage. Throwing his head back, Sephiroth managed to get his silver hair out of his eyes, and slowly climbed to his feet as he was bombarded by questions from his comrade.  
  
"Are you okay? What happened?!"  
  
Coughing, the swordsman replied, "Hell if I know. Whatever it was that grabbed me, I never managed to get a good look at it. I'd sure like to know why my body suddenly was wracked with pain, though," he added, as he shot an accusing glance at Kara.  
  
The summoner shifted uncomfortably as she pressed her opposing pointer fingers against each other back and forth. "Uh...well..."  
  
His face returned to its normal expressionless state at that. "Don't worry. All things considered, you made the right choice." His eyes widened slightly then, as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, where's my Masamune?"  
  
Kara quickly retrieved it from the pile of garbage that she had leaned it against, and extended it hilt-first to her comrade. Sephiroth quickly accepted it, and thoroughly inspected the weapon, cleaning it as he went, paying special attention to the blade. Once he was certain that it was as clean as it was going to get, the swordsman stood, and after taking a deep breath, jerked a thumb toward the direction they had been going.  
  
"Let's keep moving. If there are more creatures like this one in here, then we'll want to get out as soon as we can."  
  
With a nod of agreement, the pair resumed their trek toward the bowels of the castle, and it's dungeons.  
  
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Meanwhile...  
  
Serenity cursed viciously as she saw through her magical mirror the group above ground rejoining their forces about halfway to the castle. The new elite forces that Zemus had created were turning out to be absolutely nothing to the intruders. Furthermore, they had almost been completely destroyed. Thanks to interference of some kind, the queen couldn't see what was going on with the remaining pair in the sewers, but she had a sinking feeling that they, too, were meeting with great success.  
  
Setting her teeth, she snapped her fingers as she came to a decision. "Rubicant!"  
  
A blast of flame in the middle of the room heralded the arrival of her master's most powerful Fiend. Serenity smiled tightly as he bowed respectfully. He had never been the type to lord his power over anyone, and was always interested in a fair fight. As he stood, the Fiend asked in a subservient voice, "Yes, my Queen?"  
  
"I want you to go to the dungeon and kill the Guardians, as well as Luna and Artemis. Then, bring their corpses here to the throne room," the queen dictated.  
  
Rubicant frowned slightly. "Pardon me for asking, but weren't we supposed to save their execution for master Zemus' coronation as ruler of the world?"  
  
Serenity waved the detail away. "We'll think of something later. Right now, their corpses can serve to shake up Serin and his cohorts. However, if they join their power, then we're all finished...even master Zemus."  
  
Rubicant nodded, though the set of his face indicated his dislike. "I hear and obey, your Highness. It shall be so."  
  
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Moments after their group was completely reunited, Serin and his friends arrived at the side entrance that Sephiroth had told them about. The shrubbery in question that was supposed to be obscuring normal view of the doorway was, in fact, rotted and dried out, so it was a simple matter to pull it away from the aforementioned entry, and open the door.  
  
Only to feel a heavy rumbling come from behind them just as they started to move forward. Turning back, they saw that the two statues situated on either side of the gate, which had the lower body of a snake, along with a humanoid upper body, arms, and a face that resembled a horned orc, had somehow come to life, and were quickly slithering their way to the heroes, swinging their ball and chain weapons in a circle above their heads as they went. Before the group could even think to scurry inside ahead of their pursuers, another pair of the same creatures came slithering at an even faster pace around the castle corner, and immediately arrowed in on their apparent targets, though these two were not swinging their weapons around in preparation for immediate use.  
  
The entire group, save for Ryuhi, stepped back. The young martial artist instead took a single step forward, and made a giant leap to connect with a roundhouse kick at one of the creatures' face. Connecting with an audible 'crack', Ryuhi used the momentum to propel himself backward a safe distance, hopefully out of range of the creature's weapon. Unfortunately, aside from sliding backward a couple of feet, the attack was quickly shrugged off, and the creature resumed his threatening advance.  
  
In response, two of the creatures howled loudly to the heavens, forming an aura of energy that crackled and wrapped around them, before apparently making them grow even bigger.  
  
Blinking in astonishment, Serin quipped at this point, "I take it this is a bad thing."  
  
Ryuhi barely spared the paladin a glance before snarling back, "No shit, Sherlock."  
  
Biting back the obvious retort, Serin studied the creatures as the one Ryuhi had struck approached and, giving his weapon one last swing above his head, brought it crashing down toward Endymion.  
  
Fortunately, the monster was nowhere near as fast as its target who was quite equal to the task as he leapt up and over his attacker, tossing a barrage of roses that embedded themselves in various places on top of the creature's head and shoulders. With a roar of pain, the king's target began clumsily plucking out the offending objects as best it could.  
  
Seeing an opportunity, Jupiter charged up a Sparkling Wide Pressure attack, then lobbed it with all of her strength at her target. At the same time, Serin focused his power into his own weapon, and let loose with his Lunar Beam attack. The end result was that both attacks hit the creature at the exact same time. With a growing sense of excitement, the group watched intently as the recipient slowly staggered, then straightened, and roared with rage as it again advanced on them.  
  
Urawa, for his part, had stayed back from the action, unable to help his teammates in their endeavors. Therefore, he was the only one able to warn Ryuhi when he glanced over at the last enemy, and saw it bringing its weapon crashing down on the martial artist. "Ryuhi, LOOK OUT!"  
  
If the martial artist had merely moved, he would have been fine. But, true to tradition, he looked...and the iron ball struck him dead center.  
  
Jupiter screamed in shock, which prompted Serin to tear his gaze away from the (supposedly) injured creature, and saw a muscular arm peeking out from underneath the last monster's weapon.  
  
Charging at his target, Serin cut loose literally with a barrage of sword strikes and slashes that cut deeply into the enemy's armor and skin, causing thick, green ichor to run freely. Even after the creature was backed up against the castle's outer wall, the paladin showed no signs of stopping, even though he was breathing heavily and his attacks were noticeably slowing down. Finally, though, he swung around behind the creature's head, and plunged his blade point-first into its skull.  
  
With an animalistic scream, the creature disintegrated into thin air, leaving no trace of its existence behind. As he hit the ground, however, Serin collapsed face-first onto the ground. Jupiter was beside him in an instant, and breathed a tentative sigh of relief when she saw that he was all right, merely exhausted. Glancing up, she saw that the king and Urawa were completely preoccupied with fending off the other three monsters, trying to keep them from their injured comrade. Biting her lip, Jupiter shifted her gaze between the lopsided battle and her love, and finally charged back into the fray, praying that a miracle would happen...and soon.  
  
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In the meantime, on the Big Whale, Cid leaned back in the pilot's chair with his feet resting on the control panel as he snored away. As he shifted around, a button on one of the armrests was lightly pressed, and a monitor suddenly came to life, with the message: Lunar Reflectors being positioned...done. Beginning to store necessary power for phase two........ Done. Confirm Phase two? Y/n  
  
Cid snorted in his sleep, and shifted some more as the background hum increased slightly in volume. This allowed one of his feet to land with a thud against the control panel, which incidentally allowed another button to be pressed. This brought up a new message: Code eleven confirmed. Self-destruction will begin in five minutes unless appropriate cancellation key is pressed. Okay? Y/n  
  
His luck showing incredible pendulum-like characteristics, Cid shifted in his sleep again, this time not only hitting another button, but flipping a switch as well. This brought up the message: Code eleven cancelled. Phase two confirmed. Correlating known enemy and ally profiles...done. Evidence indicates allies are under attack. Defend? Y/n  
  
This time, Cid let one of his hands drop from its position on his chest, where it flipped another switch. A second screen then showed the battle below, with three crosshairs centering on their targets. On the first screen, one final question was displayed: Laser cannons in position. Targets acquired. Confirm attack? Y/n  
  
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Jupiter panted hard, sweat dripping down her face in rivers. Despite her, Endymion and Urawa's best attempts, the creatures still managed to keep coming, despite the fact that two of them were very obviously hurt, largely due to the fact that Urawa had learned a new attack that blasted them with holy energy (unfortunately, it ate up the white wizard's energy reserves quickly). After only three attacks, he had barely been able to stand up, much less defend his comrades, who weren't in much better shape, and had been relegated to attacking with his staff.  
  
The trio shared a glance as their enemies approached, and sadly shook their heads. They were beaten, and they all knew it. Nevertheless, the three of them shifted into their defensive stances, ready to fight to the death if need be.  
  
As it was, they were quite surprised when several blinding blasts of light tore up the ground in front of them, easily disintegrating the remaining aggressors. Before they even had time to howl a challenge, the creatures were vaporized under the laser's power.  
  
Unsure what to make of this sudden turn of fortune, the trio decided rather quickly to turn, grab their comrades, and slip inside the castle before their mysterious benefactor decided to turn on them. 


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen  
  
Inside the castle, Urawa, Jupiter, and Endymion sagged against the door they had just entered, heavily panting at their recent exertion. After a few moments of rest, they took the opportunity to begin searching the room (obviously a servant's quarters, from the look of them) for anything that might help their comrades, as Urawa was much too weak to even attempt to cast a healing spell, and the alternative (a night's rest) was out of the question as well.  
  
After a thorough inspection, the three of them came up with four bottles of liquid, two of them green and the others blue. Urawa looked them all over, and then grinned.  
  
"Well, I'd say we're in luck. These two here," he pointed to the blue bottles, "are potions that should heal what health we've lost. As for these," he directed, pointing to the green bottles, "they can restore our energy reserves." Frowning then, he muttered, "The only problem is who gets the energy drinks..."  
  
Endymion spoke up at this point, and said, "You and Guardian Jupiter can go ahead and take them. My attacks don't seem to cause much damage anyway, and I'm mostly along to try and talk some sense into my wife. You'll need it more than I will."  
  
The wizard and senshi glanced at each other, then at the king. "Are you sure, Highness?" Urawa queried.  
  
Smiling slightly, Endymion nodded. "Yes."  
  
With a shrug, Urawa downed his drink in one gulp. After a noticeable hesitation, Jupiter drank hers as well, but continued glancing back and forth between the king and Serin with a guilty look.  
  
This, however, went completely unnoticed by either of her conscious comrades, who immediately began to tend to Ryuhi and Serin. After a few doses of the potions, and some follow-up curative magic, the two fighters were back on their feet, feeling none the worse for wear. Ryuhi even commented that he felt stronger than he ever had, and sounded even more confident and cocky than he had at the start of this journey. Serin merely rolled his eyes, and suddenly noticed that Jupiter was avoiding his gaze. Walking over, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed. "Hey, Mako-chan, what's wrong?"  
  
Glancing up at him, Jupiter smiled slightly. "I...I just feel guilty. You know, with me taking that potion for myself, and..."  
  
Smiling gently, the paladin placed a quick, gentle kiss on her lips. "Hey, don't worry about it. I made a mistake that last time, by exerting myself past my limits. I don't blame you for taking the potion...after all; you saved my butt by protecting me. I guess you can think of it as one of the perks," he finished with a grin.  
  
Jupiter laughed lightly, and kissed his cheek in return. "I will never know how you always manage to make me feel better."  
  
"It's my charming personality, Mako-chan."  
  
Ryuhi stepped in at this point, and looked back and forth between the two lovers for a brief moment. "Hey, much as I'm deeply moved by this display of romance, we have more important things to worry about. Namely, rescuing the other Guardians and stopping Serenity...or whoever is taking her place."  
  
That simple comment brought everyone up short. Serin pursed his lips and nodded.  
  
"Alright, everyone, lets head for the dungeon ASAP. Chances are good that Sephiroth and Kara are already there."  
  
With a chorus of assents, the party headed out of the servant's quarters, and began their trek to the dungeon.  
  
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Deep in the bowels of the castle dungeon, there was only silence for some time, save for the dripping of water. A moment later, though, a brick shifted, grating against its mates before finally falling forward. A moment after that, a section of the entire wall exploded outward. Two shadowy outlines approached out of the enroaching dust cloud before it dissipated, revealing the two subterranean intruders.  
  
Kara glanced up and down the corridor, then turned back to her companion. "Hey, Sephiroth, you know where we are?"  
  
The former general glanced around the area, then nodded after his cursory glance. "Yes. Approximately a quarter mile down that way," pointing to the left, "is the cell with the Guardians. Hopefully, they haven't killed any of them yet," he added with a grimace.  
  
Kara glanced up at Sephiroth upon hearing his tone, and smirked. "So, it seems that Master Urawa and Serin aren't the only ones who have an attraction to one of the Guardians, huh?"  
  
Sephiroth turned a deep red at that, and turned away with a cough. "I, uh...well, I happened to help Saturn out with a problem of hers, and I'm just concerned about her, that's all."  
  
Kara nodded knowingly, then decided to change the subject. "Well, we won't find out how everyone's doing unless we get going, right?"  
  
Her companion nodded at that, then stepped forward in the direction he'd indicated earlier, his Masamune out but held stiffly at his side, to keep any casual passers-by from noticing. As he reached a turn in the corridor, the warrior raised his hand to halt his companion, and then slowly slid around just enough to see what lay ahead.  
  
Scanning the hallway, the general strained his ears to catch any clues as to what was going on, if anything, when he heard something.  
  
"I certainly hope that whatever caused that explosion doesn't get any closer to us," an overly bubbly, yet cautious, voice remarked.  
  
Relief swept through Sephiroth at that moment, and he turned to tell Kara the good news, when a creaking sound of rusted metal from behind them caught their attention.  
  
Gripping his sword tightly, Sephiroth managed to restrain himself from attacking, until a familiar figure stepped around the corner.  
  
Kara, unfortunately, was not as well trained, and had cracked her Flame whip at what she thought was a very foolish enemy. Fortunately, Serin's reflexes once again saved his skin, as he easily caught the weapon on his sword, deflecting its potentially lethal attack.  
  
Blinking in surprise, Serin lowered his own weapon, and shook his head in mock-irritation, stating, "Boy...if I didn't know better, I'd swear you didn't like me."  
  
As the rest of their comrades rejoined the advance party, Sephiroth indicated that the way was clear, and the group quickly rushed to the Guardian's cell, save for Ryuhi, who cautiously stepped forward, frowning even more intently at the walls than usual.  
  
Once Serin had the door lock sliced open, the Guardians joyously gathered around their comrade, the King, and the others, thanking them profusely for their help. Some reserved congratulations were bestowed upon Sephiroth when they learned of his assistance as well, but few knew exactly what to think of Ryuhi, especially since his mind was apparently preoccupied.  
  
Ami was also understandably ecstatic upon seeing Urawa again, who, despite a great deal of uncertainty, swept her up in a dramatic hug. The two immediately blushed and separated a moment later, but by then, it was too late: the pair were immediately targeted for teasing and a barrage of questions.  
  
Staying out of the main gathering, Sephiroth grinned as Serin let a comment slip about him and Jupiter, and the attention then shifted to them as well. As he watched his friend's obvious discomfiture, he caught Hotaru gazing at him thoughtfully. Smiling briefly, the general showed an expression of concern, and then tapped his head, pointing to her. The youngest Guardian nodded in response, then winked and blew a kiss at him, which was met with a deep red blush that nicely contrasted his silver hair.  
  
After some time, the excitement died down, and things turned serious.  
  
"I hate to break this up, but we have to stop this madness...no matter who's causing it," Haruka piped up.  
  
Rei nodded, but then added, "But we can't do anything without our henshin sticks, ne?"  
  
Sephiroth nodded, and jumped in at that point. "I know where your henshin sticks were taken. The only problem is that they're on the main floor, so we'll have to move fast if we want to avoid any altercations. How are all of you, by the way?"  
  
A chorus of "Okays, "Fit and readys, and the lone "Ready to kick butt" answered his question. Turning to Luna and Artemis, he said, "The two of you better stay in your cat bodies for now. We don't want anything happening to you."  
  
The two advisors nodded, but then shook their heads.  
  
"Is it just me, or did someone crank up the thermostat?" Artemis commented.  
  
The entire group suddenly shifted as if they had only now noticed the heat as well. Ryuhi narrowed his eyes at this point, and spoke up.  
  
"Oh, someone cranked up the thermostat, all right. And he's right...here!"  
  
With that, the martial artist fired a Cosmic Saucer right into the back wall, which erupted with a minor explosion. The dust quickly cleared, revealing a tall humanoid figure dressed in elaborate yet simple fiery red robes, who grinned amusedly at his opponents.  
  
"Nicely done, Ryuhi. I would never have thought that you would be able to figure out exactly where I was. A little more power in that blast, and you could have had me."  
  
Ryuhi snorted, his arrogance brimming to the surface. "Hmph. That wouldn't have been any fun. Even though you're going to lose, I think it only fair that you get a fair fight."  
  
The newcomer raised an eyebrow at that, then shrugged. "Be that as it may. At any rate, I'm not here to fight you. Rather, Serenity sent me to kill the Guardians before you arrived. She was rather hoping that their corpses would serve to shake you up."  
  
Sephiroth stared coldly at the fiery being before replying, "Well, in case you haven't figured it out, you're a little too late for that."  
  
Nodding, the figure replied, "Yes, I was afraid you'd say something like that. I was hoping that all I would have to do was heat the room to unbearable temperatures, and then take out the Guardians while you were passed out, but...oh, well. Since I am the last Fiend, Serenity would have sent me to face you anyway."  
  
Serin narrowed his eyes at that announcement. "You're another of Serenity's Fiends?"  
  
"Yes, I am Rubicant, Fiend of Fire, at your service," Rubicant announced with a sketched bow. "And since I sense you're eager to get this done and over with, we'll get this show on the road."  
  
"Wait!" Ami spoke up. "I want to ask you something."  
  
Everyone turned to look at her incredulously, save for Rubicant, who nodded for her to continue.  
  
"Is it really Serenity who's doing all of this...or are you covering for someone else? This...just doesn't seem like our friend and queen is capable of doing all of this."  
  
The Fiend smirked, then started chuckling, and finally roared with laughter. After a few moments, he calmed down, and said, "Ah, someone is actually thinking! Normally, I would be loath to tell anyone this, but...if you can defeat me, then I'll tell you what you wish to know. Fair?"  
  
Cautiously, the group nodded, with more than a few of them wondering why their enemy was being so helpful.  
  
"Oh, one more thing before we start. I can see that you aren't all in tip-top shape, so..." Waving his hands, the Fiend snapped his fingers, causing everyone's body to be engulfed in green sparkles that rejuvenated them instantly.  
  
Smirking, Rubicant emphasized, "Our young friend here isn't the only one interested in a fair fight. Now, then...show me your true power, all of you!"  
  
Upon finishing that statement, Rubicant gestured sharply, sending out a maelstrom of flames at the heroes. Despite their best efforts at protecting themselves, the entire team fell back with a scream as the flames burned the areas of their skin that remained unprotected.  
  
Rubicant smiled with amusement as he saw Serin, Sephiroth, and Jupiter struggle to their feet. "I'm glad to see that some of you have more stamina than normal. That will make this fight a little more interesting."  
  
With a growl, Sephiroth thrust his hand, palm outward, and shouted, "ICE!" creating a barrage of ice spears that pierced the Fiend's body.  
  
With a grunt, Rubicant stumbled back, then glared at the warrior. "Wow, I'm impressed. You knew what attack I'm weakest against," he commented with a sarcastic tone.  
  
Serin chose this moment to cut loose with a Lunar Beam attack that struck its target directly in the face, though it was more from luck, rather than skill. Jupiter then took her own opportunity to attack, and poured every available ounce of energy into a Coconut Cyclone attack. Having just recovered from the earlier assault, the Fiend had no chance to avoid the next barrage, and again took it full force, sending him flying back into the tunnel he had used to enter the dungeon. Hopping back to his feet, Rubicant snarled as he narrowed his eyes at Jupiter, and slowly pointed his first two fingers at her. Jupiter immediately ended up surrounded by a miniature tornado that visibly sucked the life out of her.  
  
Though he understood what was going on immediately, Serin had just started forward when the fiery being shot a fireball directly at the weakened Guardian, sending her down with a scream of pain.  
  
Sephiroth, at that point, had just started to cast another Ice spell, when he saw a blur hurtle past him, and repeatedly slash at the enemy. The movements of the human light particle, as the warrior later akinned it, were so quick that even Sephiroth's trained eye had trouble following the majority of the movements, much less all of them. The results, however, were as obvious as Ryuhi's attacks on Milon had been.  
  
Rubicant staggered back under the barrage until Serin finally began swinging at a snail's pace, completely failing to even scratch the fiend's skin. Rubicant laughed, and grabbed Serin around the waist, propelling him back into a wall with another fireball. Not one to give up easily, Serin still attempted to regain his feet, only to be downed once more as Rubicant contemptuously threw another fireball at him. This prompted Sephiroth to get in on the action, as he ran forward, slicing his Masamune deep into his enemy's skin. Biting back a cry of pain, Rubicant raised his fiery cloak up just in time to absorb Sephiroth's follow-up attack of an Ice spell. Though the majority of the Fiend's body was blocked from view, Sephiroth could see several wounds that Serin had made heal up as if they were never there. Taking a deep breath, Rubicant smirked as he gazed at the swordsman's stunned expression.  
  
"Luckily for me, nothing gets through my Flame Cloak. Now, it's time that I finish you off as well." Chuckling, he added, "Just so you don't feel left out."  
  
Gritting his teeth, Sephiroth readied himself to go out with a bang, when he heard another familiar voice.  
  
"I don't think so, butane breath."  
  
With a shout of 'Kaio-Ken times five!', Ryuhi smashed into Rubicant's body before letting loose a few more punches and kicks, and propelling himself backwards to join Sephiroth. With a look of disgust, he commented, "Geez, I thought you guys were going to finish him off, not play patty-cake with him. You guys are embarrassing to watch! Stand back and let a professional handle it."  
  
Turning his attention back to his true enemy, Ryuhi shifted into his combat stance as Rubicant finally recovered from the onslaught of blows, and glared at the martial artist. "So, the only way you know how to fight is by playing possum? That's sad, really."  
  
Ryuhi's only answer was a confident grin. "Oh, you'll find out that I know a lot more than that in just a minute. My only question is, can you last until the lesson's over?"  
  
The Fiend answered with a laugh. "If you were as smart as you are arrogant, you'd know that you should never give your opponent time to recover." Putting his hand palm outward, he slowly closed it into a fist, which brought forth several large lava balls smashing into the young fighter's body. With a growl of pain, he dropped to one knee, but managed to quickly stagger back to his feet.  
  
Rubicant frowned, then summoned another barrage of lava balls, which brought a greater scream of pain from the fighter before dropping him to his hands and knees this time, but failing to knock him out entirely.  
  
Muttering a curse, the fire fiend prepared to loose yet another salvo when he felt a searing (pun intended :P) pain on his back. Stumbling forward, he turned with an enraged look to face Sephiroth just as he shouted, "Kara, NOW!"  
  
The words just barely registered in Rubicant's mind as he noticed that the air was suddenly much chillier than it had been before. Turning his gaze back in the original direction, a look of horror appeared on his face as he saw the scantily clad, white-skinned woman gazing solemnly at him.  
  
"NO!" the fiend shrieked, his arms raised in a futile gesture of protection.  
  
Shiva, mistress of the ice, simply raised her hand and then, almost lazily, pointed at her target, sending a spray of diamond-sharp spears of ice into her opponent's body. Though several were absorbed in Rubicant's cloak, enough projectiles found their mark in his body as he roared in pain, dropping to his knees. After a moment, the barrage stopped, and Shiva vanished, revealing everyone standing, more or less on his or her own, as they cautiously approached the fallen being.  
  
Gasping for breath, and attempting to cling to life, Rubicant nevertheless smiled and began chuckling. "Im...pressive. Impressive indeed. You are worthy adversaries. I almost think that you stand a chance against my true master."  
  
Gently shrugging off Jupiter's helping shoulder, Serin took a couple of slow steps forward, and asked, "Who is your true master? You implied it wasn't Serenity, so who is it?"  
  
Rubicant slowly looked up at the paladin, and nodded. "You're...correct. It is not Serenity. Rather...it is Zemus."  
  
Serin, Endymion, and Jupiter started at the name, recognizing it from the one in the vision they had experienced in Skyhaven's tower.  
  
Failing to notice her friend's expression, Ami stepped forward, and put forth her own question hesitantly, as if she was afraid of the answer. "Did he...kill the queen?"  
  
For a long moment, the fiend simply looked at the warrior-princess, and then sighed. "No."  
  
Exclamations of relief were easily heard even as she pressed on to her second query: "Then, has she turned to evil?"  
  
Rubicant chuckled, even as he coughed up a thick, lava-like substance. Once his fit had passed, he grinned malevolently at the group, and simply said, "The truth is seen through those who have the eyes to see."  
  
Before the party could even begin to attempt to figure that out, the fiend suddenly dropped to the ground, burst into a bright flash of flame, and vanished, leaving nothing more than a man-sized scorch mark on the stones. 


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen  
  
Despite the Fiend's cryptic clue as to Serenity's fate, the Guardians were quick to push for action. Since Endymion backed this proposal as well, it left Serin and the others vastly outvoted...not that they had any better ideas. Still, even as they cautiously headed for the main levels of the palace, the paladin couldn't help but wonder if Rubicant had given them a vital clue that they were dismissing too casually...  
  
Thanks to Sephiroth's direction, the group was able to avoid the few guards in the palace on their way to the throne room, as well as retrieving the Guardians' missing henshin sticks. To remain prepared for any unexpected fights, the girls took the opportunity to immediately transform, which prompted a slight glint in Ryuhi's eyes, and a slack-jawed stare of shock from Sephiroth at Saturn. For the most part, the stares were ignored, as Mars took charge.  
  
"Alright. Obviously, the qu...Serenity will be in the throne room. Serin, you and your friends will remain behind with the king while we get inside. Once we're certain that the area's okay, we'll call for you."  
  
Ryuhi frowned even more at that comment, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why should you go first? By your own admission, the queen is too powerful for even all of you. So what does your sacrifice accomplish?"  
  
Mercury began to nod in agreement, until Mars shot a glare in her direction. Turning her gaze back at the martial artist, she asked icily, "All right, Ryuhi, what do you suggest?"  
  
Ryuhi smirked, and replied, "We go in with everything we've got, and end this war once and for all."  
  
Stepping up to his comrade's side before things could escalate, Sephiroth calmly placed a hand on Ryuhi's shoulder, and smiled disarmingly. "Perhaps I have an alternate plan. I suggest that we all go in at the same time, but remain unarmed. That way, we can keep from alarming her, and yet still be ready to defend or attack."  
  
The senshi glanced at each other briefly, and quickly nodded in agreement. "All right, then, we'll go with that idea. Truth be told, I'm not entirely certain what awaits us inside anyway," Venus affirmed. Giving a closer glance at Ryuhi, she frowned slightly. "Is he all right?"  
  
Sephiroth smiled broadly as he and Ryuhi nodded. Once the senshi, Serin, Kara, and Urawa stepped forward, leaving the pair of warriors behind, Ryuhi grit his teeth, and shoved Sephiroth backward, who promptly released his death grip on the martial artist's shoulder. "Dammit, that fucking hurt!"  
  
Sephiroth stepped up to within a foot of his comrade, and gave him the best icy glare that he could come up with, which was enough to make Ryuhi shrink back a bit. "You listen to me. I understand your eagerness to fight, and I also understand your desire to end this whole battle. But I also suspect you have a hidden agenda, and if you ever, and I do repeat, ever suggest such a course of action again, I swear by the Planet, I will kill you outright, superhuman strength or no. Do I make myself quite clear?"  
  
His jaw hanging open in silent shock, Ryuhi could only manage a nod, which apparently was enough for the general.  
  
"Good. Now, let's get going, before they start to wonder."  
  
Fortunately for the two of them, the rest of the group wasn't too far ahead, and aside from a brief glance of curiosity from Saturn and Venus, the reunion was largely ignored. After a moment, the group finally managed to reach the pinnacle of the main castle, where the throne room was located.  
  
Endymion, unable to wait any longer, rushed forward to the main entrance to the throne room and, tugging with every ounce of his strength, nearly yanked the doors off of their hinges as he forced them open. With his comrades only a few steps behind, the king then rushed into the chambers.  
  
His eyes swept across the empty room before settling on a disheveled form slumped on the throne. Abandoning all pretense of suspicion or caution, Endymion rushed forward, cradling his wife in his arms before any of the others could shout at him to stop. As he gently called her name, while stroking her hair, Serenity's eyelids fluttered open and she strained to focus her vision. When she realized who was holding her, she gave a wordless cry of joy and wrapped her arms tightly around her husband.  
  
"Endymion! Oh, thank the moon you're here! I had the worst nightmare..." Her voice broke off as she saw her friends and bodyguards standing nearby, looking first wary and cautious, but then grim and uneasy. With a growing sense of unease, she turned back to her husband and asked, "I...I was only having a nightmare...wasn't I?"  
  
The king hugged his wife close, but remained silent. The silence was apparently more than Serenity could bear, and she sucked in a shaky breath as her eyes sparkled with tears. Burying her face in the king's chest, she began to sob quietly, as the rest of her friends surrounded her and offered quiet support.  
  
"Usa-ko, it's okay...it's okay..." Endymion whispered, but his wife cut him off with a violent shake of the head.  
  
"No, it's not! I can't...they'll never trust me again! All the pain and suffering...it's all my fault!"  
  
Serin lowered his eyes at that, a jolt of pain running through him as he heard his sister speak those words. As he did so, a faint vibration at his side caught his attention. Checking himself over, the paladin's hand finally grazed his sword, and he was shocked to discover that it was resonating. 'But why?' he wondered. Pulling it out of its sheath slowly, an even bigger shock awaited him as he saw that it was shining brilliantly, even more so than he had ever seen it do.  
  
Serenity held up a hand to block the light even as she moaned in pain. "Please, stranger...if you wouldn't mind, I would appreciate it if you sheathed your sword. The light is hurting my eyes."  
  
Turning his head slowly over to the queen, Serin's own eyes narrowed as he held the translucent blade in front of his gaze, peering at her through his weapon. After a brief moment, he grimaced, lowered his sword, and spoke sharply to Endymion and the others, "Step away from her."  
  
The expressions on the Guardian's faces ranged from anger, to confusion, to shock, at Serin's statement. If it hadn't been clear what he was trying to say before, what he did next removed any confusion. Pointing the tip of his blade at the queen, he stated calmly, "Let her go. Now."  
  
Mars took in a slow, deep breath as she readied herself to step in front of her friend and ruler, but Urawa held out his staff, blocking her path as he shook his head. "He's right...I can feel it too. This is not Serenity."  
  
Endymion and the others let out a short gasp of surprise at that announcement, during which the king finally took Serin's initial demand to heart and backed away. Serenity, for her part, blinked in bewilderment. "Wha...what do you mean? I...I don't understand what you're..."  
  
Serin narrowed his eyes even further, and shook his head. "Can it. You know what I'm talking about. Unfortunately for you, I can see through the nifty little disguise spell you put on that jewel in your bow. And I recognize it, too...it's a stasis gem, isn't it? And I bet I can figure out who's inside it with one guess..."  
  
Silence pervaded the room at that, but the shifting sounds of trained combatants preparing to fight were plainly audible. Serenity looked around with tear-filled eyes, and reached out a hand to Endymion. "Endymion...my dear husband..."  
  
Before anyone could think to shout a warning, a blast of black lightning struck the king dead center, throwing him backward several feet to land in a heap. Everyone moved swiftly to seek cover, Urawa throwing up protective barriers on those who didn't appear to be able to make it to cover in time. Ryuhi, predictably, leapt forward with his fists cocked and ready, only to come to a halt about ten feet from his target, with a crackling web of blue energy surrounding him. As he hung there, motionless, the faux-Serenity almost lazily gestured, sending a whirlwind of cutting magical blades to surround him. Even with his injury-enhanced strength, Ryuhi roared in pain as time and again, the blades cut deeply into his skin, causing rivers of his blood to flow down his body.  
  
The assault would undoubtedly have continued indefinitely, had Venus not fired off a Love-Me Chain attack. Though the attack itself did little more than distract the imposter, that in and of itself was sufficient. Ryuhi dropped to the ground with a grunt, as the double turned her attention to the new irritant.  
  
Venus blinked at the lack of any effect that her attack had, and gritted her teeth as she prepared for a counterattack.  
  
Serenity smiled without warmth as she raised her first two fingers, and gestured upward sharply, creating a geyser of black energy that engulfed the soldier of love before reforming into a sphere that exploded in a storm of lightning bolts that converged on their target. Venus screamed loudly, and simply collapsed with a groan seconds later.  
  
As the imposter's back was turned, the remaining scouts glanced at each other and nodded, then prepared their signature attacks, releasing them simultaneously at their opponent. As if she saw the attacks coming, Serenity turned and stretched out her hand, catching every attack in the palm of her hand. The resulting maelstrom of opposing energies forced everyone to avert their eyes, as well as bracing themselves.  
  
When the storm ended, Serenity held a sphere of energy that floated a few inches above her hand as it pulsated from green to orange to red to blue to teal to black and back again. Keeping her face totally expressionless, Serenity threw the sphere up, where it split into six different beams that arrowed in on their respective targets, piercing their bodies. Each scout's reaction was different, but the end result was the same: as one, they slowly collapsed, seemingly lifeless, to the ground.  
  
For Sephiroth, seeing Saturn possibly killed was more than he could stand. Slowly standing up, ignoring the frantic gestures of his comrades, he gestured sharply with one hand, a brief flash of green light surrounding him as one of the green orbs in his sword hilt glowed, which created several spears of ice that crashed into the double's body, before forming a cocoon of ice that eventually exploded outward in a fine, shimmering powder.  
  
When the shower ended, Sephiroth gasped in surprise as he saw that his attack had also had no effect. Serenity slowly and mockingly smiled at her former general's shock, and spoke for the first time since the battle began: "I'm disappointed in you, Sephiroth. Joining with such a motley band of renegades when you had everything you could have ever needed here- I'm afraid I will never understand you people. Therefore, the only real solution is to destroy all of you. Then, master Zemus can remake this world into one that makes sense." Raising her hand again, this time with her fingers outstretched, she shouted, "DIE!". At her words, a black beam of energy crashed against the swordsman's chest, sending him out the main doors and over the edge of the parapet, where he disappeared from sight.  
  
Gritting his teeth, and growling with growing rage, Serin glanced from around a column that he had taken shelter behind, trying to formulate a plan to get to the doppelganger and acquire the stasis gem on her chest. The unfortunate part was that all of them required some sort of distraction for him to make his run, and from his viewpoint, nobody was available to do anything about that.  
  
'Dammit! All I need is one person to distract her for a few minutes! Just a few minutes!'  
  
A brief blur of movement caught his eye, along with the call, "KAIO- KEN TIMES 10!!!" and the paladin just barely managed to catch Ryuhi moving at an incredible speed, hammering away at Serenity's shield with his bare hands. Though his injuries were still bleeding, one would never know it by the amount of power the martial artist was putting into his blows, grunting loudly as his fists forced the shield to either bend inward, or spark fiercely.  
  
Seeing his chance, Serin drew his sword and ran at full speed, attempting to cover the distance between him and the two combatants. As he approached, the paladin saw his companion shatter the double's barrier, only to be engulfed in a sphere of flame that was hurled almost contemptuously at a wall, creating a deep crater that he ended up half- buried in.  
  
Serin barely noticed any of this, however, as he leapt with all of his might, his sword ready to strike. As he rose off of the ground, however, the imposter turned and fired another energy beam directly at him. Acting out of reflex more than anything, Serin brought his weapon up to block the attack, wincing as he prepared for the pain.  
  
Since his eyes were closed, the paladin failed to see what happened next. The energy beam, intercepted by his weapon, was diverged, with each half shooting off in a completely different direction, to impact against the floor.  
  
When the impact and/or pain didn't come, Serin opened his eyes again, to see that his ascent wasn't slowed in the least and that he was nearly level with the imposter. Gritting his teeth, and tightening the grip he had on his sword, the young warrior then swung with all of his might...neatly cutting the stasis gem in half.  
  
"NO!" the fake Serenity screamed, as the two halves dropped off of her robe. For a brief moment, they sparkled during their plunge, and then flashed as they shattered. The light then coalesced into a familiar figure, who stood with a very determined and angry look on her face.  
  
For a long minute, the two women stood staring at each other, almost making it appear as if the others were seeing double. After several minutes, the true Serenity finally spoke.  
  
"After all you've done...after the pain you've caused...after what you've done to my friends...I can never forgive you, or the one who sent you!" Turning her hardened gaze up at the clone, Serenity became bathed in light, and with a brief flash, was transformed into Super Sailor Moon. Holding her scepter in one hand, and pointing it at her enemy, she shouted, "In the name of the Moon...I'll punish you!"  
  
Serin smiled at the familiar phrase that he hadn't heard in years, and stepped up to his sister's side, swinging his Crystal Sword down in emphasis as he stated, "In the name of Lunaria and Earth, we will punish you!"  
  
Sailor Moon glanced at her unexpected battle companion briefly, but refrained from talking at the moment, preferring instead to keep her focus on her double.  
  
The fake Serenity glanced between the two of them and broke out into a fit of maniacal laughter. When she had finally calmed down, she remarked, "Well, this is rather unfortunate. Perhaps before you 'deal' with me, you can show me what you intend to do about them." So saying, she pointed over their shoulders, which prompted the siblings to look back.  
  
It immediately became apparent what the clone was talking about, since the doorway to the throne room was filled with over a thousand Enforcers brandishing various weapons. Sailor Moon gasped in shock, and Serin tightened his grip on his weapon while gritting his teeth, even as they both prepared to fight.  
  
It shocked everyone present, literally, when an old hermit appeared before the soldiers, an unseen wind blowing his hair and robe around as he raised his staff to the sky. A few seconds later, a veritable storm of lightning bolts thinned the ranks of their enemies before the man disappeared seconds later. It was at this point that Urawa stepped out from behind a column that he had been taking cover by, and chanted quietly in some language that neither had heard before.  
  
Though it was impossible to tell what he was casting at that point, it quickly became obvious later when several of the soldiers began turning on their comrades, without hesitation. Confident that his friends had his back, Serin turned with a small smirk to the imposter. "That's what we're going to do. You got anything else for us, or are you going to give up quietly?"  
  
The double snarled in animalistic rage, and roared as her body began reforming itself. Bones cracked as they were relocated, and its skin began ripping apart as if it were merely a costume. When the transformation was complete, a silver skinned being with a single red orb floating in its translucent body stood before them, with a constantly changing body and face, as if it couldn't decide on a single form. Apparently having the consistency of liquid metal, that notion was reinforced when it's right arm took on the shape of a javelin.  
  
Serin took immediate charge and leapt at the creature, slicing away with his weapon in several masterful strokes. When he finished the final cut, the paladin leapt away to view his handiwork.  
  
...Just in time to see the last of his attacks seal up as if he had never touched the creature. Gaping in shock briefly, he raised his sword in a defensive posture, and called out, "Okay, sis, you try something!"  
  
'Sis? As in sister? Huh?' Shaking her head, Sailor Moon decided to leave that thought for later, and twirled her scepter around her body as she shouted out, "Moon Spiral Heart...ATTACK!" As she finished the last word, she stopped her spinning and thrust her scepter up into the air, sending out a torrent of hearts that flew out in a spiral toward her target. The being stumbled back, covering what appeared to be its face, as the attack reached its conclusion, with a giant heart smashing into the creature's body.  
  
Serin lowered his sword cautiously, trying not to get overly optimistic, as he attempted to see what the results were through the brilliant light. After a few seconds, he suddenly became aware of something standing right in front of him.  
  
With only a second to react, Serin could only stand in shock as he heard the eerie indrawn-breath voice of the creature calmly state, "Die," before the pain hit.  
  
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Jupiter slowly came to, realizing at once that she hurt all over...especially in the head. Groaning, she stubbornly forced herself to her feet, managing to make it on the fourth try. Stumbling a bit, she then succeeded in fully righting herself, and glanced around, seeing several of her comrades on the ground beside her. Scratching her head, Jupiter tried to remember what was going on...  
  
And with an explosion from behind her, everything came back in a rush. Whirling around, her pain forgotten, Jupiter felt relief at seeing that her friend and leader, Sailor Moon, was freed from the stasis gem that had been on the clone. She noted immediately after that, that she had apparently fired off a Spiral Heart attack, judging from the smoke and light that was visible. Cautiously approaching Serin and Serenity, Jupiter was attempting to be the first to congratulate and hug them.  
  
It was then that a creature appeared directly in front of Serin. Jupiter assumed it to be the clone that they had been fighting this whole time, since at one point, she could have sworn that it looked like Serenity, despite it's silver translucent body.  
  
Before she could shout a warning, the creature stated, "Die," in an eerie, indrawn-breath voice, and unleashed a barrage of spear-like appendages from its back that pierced her love's body in hundreds of different places.  
  
For a moment, Jupiter simply stood there in shock, as the creature withdrew its appendages, and Serin remained standing. The only thought running through her mind was, 'Serin's alright, Serin's alright, Serin's...' Then his wounds started bleeding profusely, and the paladin collapsed with a small grunt.  
  
It was at that point that Jupiter snapped.  
  
Her eyes going wide with rage, the senshi of lightningwood thrust her hands toward the creature, palm first, and concentrated every available erg of energy into a single Jupiter Oak Evolution attack that struck dead center. The resulting explosion was large enough to lift Jupiter off of her feet briefly and push her back several feet. When the smoke cleared, the warrior princess saw that her target had apparently been injured, as it was missing half of its body. However, as she watched, the red orb inside of it began to glow brighter, and it appeared to repair itself.  
  
Urawa stepped up at this point, and chanted quietly again, this time pointing at the prone body of Serin. Light arrowed from the white wizard's fingers and entered the apparent corpse, visibly draining Urawa's remaining energy reserves. As Jupiter watched, Serin slowly climbed to his feet, all of his injuries completely healed. As an apparent bonus, his armor had also been repaired:).  
  
Standing calmly as he faced his enemy, Serin held his sword up in front of his face with his left hand, the flat of the blade facing him, as he placed his first two fingers of his right hand on the weapon, shouting out, "Lunar...Crystal...POWER!"  
  
With a glowing aura of light, the weapon encased its target in a globe of pure white energy. Roaring with rage, the creature attempted to batter its way out, but the field held fast, though Serin showed visible strain as he attempted to keep the barrier up. Nonetheless, he managed to call out, "Sailor Moon...hit it in...red orb...hurry..."  
  
Understanding immediately, the queen and protector of Crystal Tokyo went through another elaborate, yet different, series of twirls and spins, calling out this time, "Rainbow...Moon...Heart...ACHE!"  
  
This time, a spiraling ribbon of hearts arrowed toward the imprisoned clone, striking it dead center in its apparent nucleus, passing through Serin's hastily erected barrier with no trouble at all. The creature, for its part, let out a scream of pain and rage as, with the orb gone, it simply disintegrated into fine powder that blew away in the wind. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sailor Moon turned to thank her mysterious helper, only to see him sigh and collapse to the ground in a heap. 


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen  
  
The next day, the guardians and their new friends gathered in the throne room to discuss possibilities for their next move. For Serin, however, the reason was far more personal.  
  
After passing out immediately after the battle with the clone, he had awoken later that night in a hospital room with Makoto watching over him, notwithstanding the bandages that were wound around nearly a quarter of her body. Despite the pain she was obviously in, her face brightened when he opened his eyes and began to stir.  
  
Standing and hugging him gently, she whispered, "I'm so glad you're back with us, Serin-kun. I was so afraid that I..."  
  
Serin gently extricated himself from the hug, and looked her in the eye, with a playful smirk on his face. "Come on, Mako-chan...you should know better than to think that a mere clone would be able to put me out of commission. Besides, I've got the moves, I've got the weapon, and dammit, people like me."  
  
His last statement sent Makoto into a fit of uproarious laughter that was unfortunately cut short by a stabbing pain from her ribs. "Ouch..."  
  
On his feet instantly, Serin took a step forward before he noticed that he felt awfully cold. That, coupled with Makoto's furious blush, prompted him to look down and notice...  
  
"Oh, GEEZ!" he shouted, diving back under the covers. Once he was back in place, Serin quickly glanced around the room, hoping to spot at least a pair of pants, which he did after a few seconds. Pointing to them, he asked, "Um, Mako-chan...Uh, could you...?"  
  
The whole time, both he and the warrior princess steadfastly avoided looking at each other, but Makoto nodded and retrieved the article of clothing in question, handing them to Serin.  
  
As she did so, their hands touched for a brief instant, and both lovers felt a spark pass between them. This prompted the pair to truly look at each other, which they did for several moments. Finally, Serin blinked, momentarily breaking the spell, but he held her eyes fast as he spoke.  
  
"Uh, Mako-chan. I, um...I have something I want to ask you...but could you turn your back for just a sec?" That last was said with a slightly embarrassed grin, which Makoto returned as she complied. Playfully, she tossed back over her shoulder, "I don't see why you're embarrassed about your body...I didn't see anything to hide-not from me, at any rate."  
  
Thud  
  
Makoto barely restrained the urge to turn, but did begin a giggling fit that got an answering growl from Serin, along with, "Not funny, Mako- chan." After that, a sly note crept into his voice as he added, "I'm guessing you were really looking, then."  
  
The senshi of lightning was certainly grateful that her back was to her boyfriend at that point, as her face could most likely have passed for a tomato. Silence pervaded the room then, until Serin called out, "Okay, you can turn around now." By then, Makoto's blush had faded, and she turned to face her lover with a look of curiosity. "So...what was it you wanted to tell me?"  
  
Serin took a deep breath...and then another...and then a third, before he finally stepped closer to her, took one of her hands...and then abruptly narrowed his eyes. "Just a sec," was his simple reply as he mimed putting his hands over his ears. Makoto, with a bit of hesitation and confusion, complied as he stepped up to the door, and...  
  
"YAAAAAAHHHH!!!" he screamed. Faintly through the door, Makoto could several shrieks and yells followed by a few crashes and thuds, to be topped off by a round of muttering, which if the eavesdroppers were who Makoto thought they were, was anything but polite.  
  
Turning with a self-satisfied smile, the paladin returned to his original position, and cleared his throat. "Okay...what I wanted to ask you was...Kino Makoto...will...will you marry me?"  
  
For several long minutes, there was no sound at all, save for the A/C's drone. As the silence stretched on longer than he had originally thought, Serin began to have second thoughts just as Makoto cried out with joy and barreled into him with a tight bear hug.  
  
"Yes, YES! I've wanted to for so long, I'd love to be your wife!"  
  
"Mmm...agh...ack!"  
  
"Oh! Sorry!"  
  
As Makoto released him, Serin began gasping for breath, and shook his head once he'd at least partially recovered his composure. "Maybe I'd better let Ryuhi put the engagement ring on your finger, if that's how you respond to a proposal."  
  
Makoto smiled at her fiancé, and hugged him again, though more gently this time. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you ask me that. I know that we've only rediscovered our past recently, but still..."  
  
"Yeah...I know what you mean, Mako-chan. When I was first in the military, I, uh...had a major crush on you. The only problem was that I had no idea how to make you notice me without looking like a total doof."  
  
Makoto smirked at that, and asked, "What? Like you still aren't?"  
  
His eyes widening in mock outrage, Serin took a menacing step forward. "Oh, that's it. You're gonna pay for that."  
  
For some time afterwards, shrieks of laughter could be heard up and down the hall just outside Serin's recovery room. Smiling to themselves, the other Scouts placed a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door, then left the two lovebirds to enjoy some privacy.  
  
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Serin shook himself out of his reverie as he realized that the senshi and his other companions were looking to him, as King Endymion gestured, "Serin...I assume that you have something to tell us?"  
  
Serin nodded, and slowly stood. Pulling out his sword, he placed it on the table, and turned to his sister, though she didn't know it yet.  
  
"Your Highness...may I borrow the Imperium Silver Crystal?"  
  
Everyone present gasped at the enormity of Serin's request, but not as much as they did when Serenity unquestioningly complied. Smiling in gratitude, Serin placed the crystal into the niche on his weapon, where it fit perfectly, as if it had been designed specifically for that. A few moments later, a flash of light brought forth an image of Queen Serenity herself, who smiled serenely at everyone present.  
  
"Greetings, everyone. I'm relieved to see that you're all well. For some time, I had wondered if I was ever going to get to see you again."  
  
The younger Serenity gasped and stood, shockingly extending a hand to her mother. "M...mother? Is that you?"  
  
"Yes, my daughter. A portion of my essence was captured inside of the Silver Imperium Crystal and the Crystal Sword moments before I passed on, so that when they were finally brought together, I would be able to return, albeit briefly, to tell you something important," the elder Serenity replied.  
  
"What would that be, Your Highness?" Mercury asked.  
  
Serenity turned to regard them all for a brief moment, then smiled over at Serin before revealing the story. She told them about the first contact with the Lunarians and their world-ship, and how she had fallen in love with the ambassador, TroYa...and he with her. She told them about the construction of the Crystal Sword with a portion of the Imperium Crystal, which brought startled comments from all save for Endymion, Jupiter, and Serin, who smirked slightly at the reaction their 'secret' had gotten. The queen also told them about how TroYa and all but one of the other Lunarians had been forced to leave, due to the act of treason committed by Zemus, and how she had grieved for him when she believed him to be dead.  
  
Finally, she layed out her trump card. Turning to her daughter, Queen Serenity added, "My darling daughter...there was one final thing that was never revealed to you, because the time was not yet right. TroYa and I not only feel in love, but...we also had a child together. Somehow, our genetic makeups did not bring about a daughter, as was tradition. Instead, we had a son." Gesturing with an outstretched hand to the paladin, she continued, "I want you to meet your brother, Serin."  
  
Silence was the only thing that remained in the room for a full two minutes, during which the paladin shifted uncomfortably, unsure what the response would be to his royal lineage being revealed. Truth be told, he would have preferred not telling anyone about that, but if you got lemons, you made lemonade, as the old saying went.  
  
The tableau was broken when Venus stood up from her place at the table, came around, and extended her hand with a smile on her face.  
  
"Welcome to the team, prince."  
  
Everyone around the table, and Serin echoed the senshi's sentiments, not sure how to respond, simply nodded, and put on a slight smile.  
  
Once the initial excitement had died down, the younger Serenity turned to her mother's image, and asked, "Mother, all of this is fascinating and exciting, but...what does all of this mean? What relevance does it have now?"  
  
The queen pursed her lips, and sighed. "Since the Crystal Sword's power has been unleashed, that can only mean one thing...Zemus has returned. I don't know how, but...I fear that he..."  
  
At that, the queen's image took a deep breath, and visibly composed herself before continuing. "At any rate, somehow, Zemus is behind everything. That is the only way that the Crystal Sword is able to be unsealed. It is up to you to put a stop to him once and for all...but be careful. He was powerful enough to keep the Lunarian council at bay back in the Silver Millennium, and who knows what else he is capable of now. I have fait...all of...to...store pea..."  
  
Before her last sentence could be finished, the image faded away, and the Crystal Sword's glow subsided. Each member of the group sat quietly, absorbed in their own particular thoughts, when Sephiroth spoke up.  
  
"Okay...we know who's responsible for all that's happened in the last month. The only problem I can see is..."  
  
"...Where he is," Uranus finished with a tightening of her hands. Neptune placed one of her own delicately over her lover's hands.  
  
"Don't worry, Uranus, he can't hide forever." She smiled slightly as she added, "It seems to be a genetic trait for villains to reveal their whereabouts with some sort of grand revelation."  
  
The senshi and their auxiliaries laughed at the truth to that, until Ryuhi commented, "Then I think Zemus has decided to extend an invitation. Unless, of course, I'm seeing double here."  
  
The others turned to their comrade, who stood near a window, gesturing with a jerk of his head outside. Serenity and Endymion were the first ones there, with the rest close behind.  
  
Up in the sky, the full moon's silvery glow could be plainly seen, blanketing Crystal Tokyo in its cold light. And next to it.  
  
Most of the scouts stood in shock and confusion at the twin image, though Saturn, Sephiroth, and Ryuhi showed no reaction to the spectacle. A long moment passed before Serin commented, "Maybe it's just me, but...I'd say that Zemus has extended us an invitation..."  
  
Not even Jupiter smiled at that one.  
  
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Serin lay in bed that night, thinking about the turn of events that had led him to this moment, and shook his head.  
  
'Man.going up against Zemus? I know that my sister and the others have been through some tough fights and all, but.can I really put them in danger like this? Even if they're doing it voluntarily?'  
  
As if in answer to his question, a knock came on the door, and after making sure he was decent, the paladin called out, "Enter."  
  
The door quietly swung open a crack, and Sephiroth slipped through the opening, stopping just inside the room. His eyes were serious and intense, and Serin noted that not only was he dressed in his battle uniform, he was also carrying Masamune in a sheath on his back.  
  
The confusion must have shown on his face, because before he could say a word, Sephiroth stated, "We're leaving in approximately twenty minutes to destroy Zemus. I thought you might like to know, so you could come with."  
  
Serin blinked, and said, "Really? I didn't think the girls would be so quick to jump the gun like that."  
  
Sephiroth cut the sentence short by raising his hand. "They won't be coming with us," He stated bluntly. "If all goes well, Zemus will be dead by sunrise. The only ones going will be you, I, Ryuhi, Urawa, and Kara."  
  
Serin frowned in puzzlement, and warily asked, "Why the sudden change in plans? Wouldn't it be better to go as one big group?"  
  
The swordsman countered by asking in turn, "Do you want your sister or Jupiter to be in danger? I see no need for.any of them to go. I feel confident that the five of us will be able to handle anything that this Lunarian can throw at us."  
  
Serin pursed his lips, and then slowly nodded. "Let me get my armor and sword, okay? I'll be ten minutes, tops."  
  
Sephiroth nodded and left as silently as he came, leaving his friend to gather his equipment. As Serin fastened his sword, he pulled it free of its sheath, and stood there contemplating its blade for some time.  
  
'I know we're doing the right thing. I don't want my sister or Mako- chan in harm's way again, but.why do I have such a bad feeling about this?'  
  
The thought soon passed, and Serin departed, hoping against hope that Sephiroth was right.  
  
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As Serin stepped outside, he noticed Ryuhi leaning against the ramp of their transport, casually cracking his knuckles. Glancing up, the martial artist straightened when he saw the paladin approaching.  
  
"Good, you're coming after all. I was starting to get bored."  
  
Serin stopped short just as he was about to pass by his comrade, slowly turned to look at him, and asked, "Are you like this all the time, or does it happen to be Asshole Day?"  
  
Narrowing his eyes, Ryuhi took a step closer, and stated very deliberately, "Just be glad I'm on your side, princeling." With that, he turned and marched into the Big Whale.  
  
Serin followed suit almost immediately, and saw that everyone else was already present. Urawa was sitting in a nearby chair, with his head bowed and staff held upright, while Ryuhi sat in another seat far off in the corner. Kara and Sephiroth, in the meantime.  
  
"Look, I just don't understand what you're trying to say here! Are you saying that you have no faith in the Sailor Scouts? Or," she asked with a dangerous tone, "are you implying that men are superior in battle?"  
  
Silently glancing upward, Sephiroth remained silent for a few moments, and then glared at Kara. "A), I'm not saying anything of the sort, B), you're being ridiculous, and C).if you must know, I am simply not keen on putting them in danger unnecessarily. I don't care how tough people think Zemus is, the five of us can handle him just fine. Therefore, we go, they stay, we're back before they know what happened, end of discussion. Clear?"  
  
Kara deflated a little, but remained sounding petulant as she muttered, "Crystal."  
  
Letting out a sigh of relief, the swordsman turned, and smirked as he spotted his friend. "Ready to go?"  
  
Serin smiled slightly, and gave a mock salute. "Let's do it. What do we have to do?"  
  
Pointing over to the crystal, Sephiroth said, "The inscription's translation is over there. Just go ahead and take care of it while I shut the hatch."  
  
Nodding, Serin strode up to the indicated location, and after skimming through the plaque, reached out and placed his hand flat on the crystal. Taking a deep breath, he then attempted to visualize the ship's travel to the second moon that had appeared over the earth.  
  
Seconds later, the others felt more than heard a low humming sound build up throughout the ship, which gradually became accompanied by a steady rumble. Urawa glanced out one of the few windows in the ship, and saw the ground slowly pulling away from their ride as they rose into the air. Grinning, he turned to his friends, and shouted, "Looks like we're in business."  
  
.Just before the crystal flashed, and the entire party found themselves flattened by a tremendous force of acceleration as the Big Whale headed for its destination. This lasted for only a few minutes, but it was enough to shock everyone, even Ryuhi.  
  
".The **** was that?!?" the martial artist queried.  
  
As Sephiroth regained his footing, and shook his head to clear it, he replied, "Ungh.I believe.that that was the sudden acceleration into escape velocity. Since we're able to move around now, I imagine that we're already in space."  
  
Urawa raised a surprised eyebrow at the swordsman's explanation, and asked, "Wow.you must have studied quite a bit when you were younger.or were you an astronaut before the Cataclysm?"  
  
"Uh.I.think I just studied a lot.yeah, I'm pretty sure that's it."  
  
A brief moment of silence fell before Serin took charge. "Alright, then, let's get cracking. We have to work on a strategy before we get to Lunaria, and I think it's safe to say that at this speed, we won't have much time."  
  
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As it turned out, they did have quite a bit of time before finally arriving at Lunaria.three hours, to be precise. Kara spent most of the time alone in a different part of the ship, though Ryuhi swore several times that he would walk by to use the facilities, or fix up some food, and heard her talking to somebody. As soon as he approached to investigate, however, Kara would stop talking, and act as if nothing had happened. After awhile, Ryuhi just shrugged, and ignored it.  
  
Urawa spent most of his time alone as well, though he would often be seen kneeling in prayer, with his staff lying in front of him. The few times he got up it was only for a few seconds before he returned to his normal position.  
  
Sephiroth and Serin outlined a few strategies against Zemus once they got to him, though neither one of them knew just how useless those strategies would be once they reached their goal.  
  
Ryuhi, however, was the most restless. The first hour was okay, since he devoted himself to running through several of his katas, and keeping his mind and body in top condition. The second hour was more strenuous on him, but he kept himself occupied for the most part by eating his double portion of the food that he had packed from the palace kitchen. He just hoped they didn't notice that half of the pantry was gone.  
  
By the third, however, he was extremely irritated.  
  
"When are we going to get there? I need something to fight!"  
  
As Serin and Cid attempted to make sense of the controls and readouts, Sephiroth politely cleared his throat from behind the martial artist, and calmly stated, "If you need someone to fight, then you can fight me. I don't think it will hurt our fighting strength at all if you were injured here, since you seem to be adept at quick recoveries."  
  
Ryuhi smirked, and slowly eased into his combat stance. Before Sephiroth could prepare himself, Serin called out, "Looks like we made it."  
  
Checking his initial attack, Ryuhi snapped his head around in surprise, and ran over. After briefly glancing at the readouts, the warrior turned to Serin and demanded, "How do you know we're here? None of these gauges make any sense!"  
  
Smirking in reply, the paladin reached down and pressed a small button that had a dark oval set above it. Instantly, a screen materialized, showing an almost immaculate view of outer space. Centered in this view screen was a picture of a planetoid, almost 1.5 times the size of the moon they all knew, seemingly lifeless. From the distance they were positioned, the redness that had been prominent from the ground was no longer visible; instead, its surface was a light brown, still apparently very much devoid of life.  
  
As they watched the view screen, Cid carefully piloted the Big Whale closer and closer to the ground, ever on the alert for a possible attack. Once they had reached a safe cruising altitude, the pilot relaxed and began searching for a safe place to land.  
  
It was that inattention that cost them all.  
  
A sudden explosion from the port side of the ship caught everyone's attention, as did the sudden acrid smell of an electrical fire. Before anyone thought to shout a warning, two more explosions erupted from the starboard, and from the stern.  
  
A mere second later, the fuel cells in the tanks detonated.  
  
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Makoto woke with a start, drenched in sweat, and tightly gripping her bed sheets. Glancing around the room, she slowly began taking deep breaths, calming her racing heart.  
  
'Only a dream, thank goodness.but.it seemed so real.'  
  
Shaking the last remnants of the dream out of her head, the warrior- princess threw the sheets back, and hopped out of her bed, pulling a nightgown on top of her normal nightwear as she opened the door. Whether it was a dream or not, she had to make sure that Serin was okay.  
  
Silently padding down the halls, she passed by the royal bedchambers, faintly catching a loud snore from the other side. Makoto giggled to herself as she heard it, shaking her head in amazement.  
  
'No matter how 'old' she gets, some things never change,' the senshi thought wryly. No sooner than that thought had passed through her mind, than she reached her fiancé's quarters. Taking a deep breath to calm her fluttering heart, Makoto knocked several times, and stepped back.  
  
When she received no answer, even after ten minutes of waiting, Makoto frowned and knocked again, this time a bit louder.  
  
Silence.  
  
A sudden trickle of fear began to work its way into her system, causing the senshi to throw open the doors, and peer inside.  
  
It only took her a few moments of frantic searching to discover that Serin wasn't here.  
  
As if to confirm her thoughts, a near-deadpan voice from behind her stated, "Serin isn't here, Makoto-san. None of them are."  
  
Whirling around, Makoto blinked as she saw Hotaru standing there, glancing around the room briefly before resuming eye contact with her comrade.  
  
"H.how do you know, Hotaru-chan?"  
  
Hotaru's eyes flashed briefly with pain and worry, and she looked down. "Because Seph-kun and I.are psychically linked. And." At this, she suddenly looked up at Makoto and flung herself into the older senshi's arms, crying. "And now the connection's broken! All I got was a brief flash of pain, and now he isn't answering! He might even be."  
  
Makoto squeezed her young companion tightly, if only to stop the inevitable possibility from slipping out. "Sh, you know him better than that, Hotaru. Sephiroth's way too stubborn and too tough to roll over and die that easily. But.I'd be willing to bet that those dummies took off and are trying to take out Zemus themselves. That flash of pain was probably just from a battle they had, and Sephiroth is unconscious for the moment. That's all."  
  
Sniffling, Hotaru looked up, her eyes filled with hope, and asked, "R.really?"  
  
Makoto nodded, forcing a fake smile that apparently reassured her comrade greatly. "I'm sure of it. But I'm also sure that the others wouldn't want to be left out of this fight, so why don't you see if you can get Haruka and Michiru awake, alright? I'll go get the others."  
  
Reassured now, Hotaru quickly ran down the hall toward her 'parents' room, while Makoto, who was filled with terror at the very real possibility that she wouldn't let Hotaru voice, turned in the other direction and ran as fast as she could to her friends. 


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen  
  
The first thing that Serin became aware of when he regained consciousness was that he hurt like hell. A blast of frigid wind chose that moment to cut across his face, lashing him mercilessly, which fully awakened him as he opened his eyes.  
  
As his surroundings came into focus, the paladin tried to make sense of where he was. Slowly getting into a sitting position, his next realization was that his leg was pinned down. A cursory glance showed that his leg was only restrained, not crushed, by a large piece of twisted, charred metal. As he shifted into a position to survey his surroundings better, Serin could see that many other, similar pieces of scrap metal were deposited around his area, ranging from near miniscule to several that looked heavy enough to crush bones. Blinking his eyes slowly, the memories of his last few seconds of consciousness came rushing back.  
  
'A firestorm rushed through the ship from the fuel tanks, and both Sephiroth and Urawa were putting up shields to protect us.' Shaking his head, the paladin reached down and, with a great deal of effort, managed to lever the restraining scrap piece off of his leg. Cautiously standing, Serin found that though it was still numb, he could quickly walk it off. With that settled, he began to take a better look at the area.  
  
Aside from the large, rocky cliffs surrounding nearly every side, the only other thing of interest was a large structure that appeared to be made of some purple, crystalline material. Studying the building as closely as he could, Serin began to feel some strange energy pulsing from its interior. Shaking the ominous feelings that began to creep up on him, the paladin turned away, and began to search the debris for his friends.  
  
Ryuhi was easily found, as he was underneath one of the larger pieces, trying to shove it right off of him with brute force. Failing to notice the paladin approaching, the martial arts warrior finally growled in irritation, and fired a Cosmic Saucer blast into the wreckage, disintegrating it into a fine powder. As he brushed himself off, Ryuhi turned and happened to see Serin standing there with a quizzical expression on his face.  
  
Ryuhi, in turn, adopted a strained-patient look, and stated, "Tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing if you could."  
  
Raising his hands in surrender, Serin directed the conversation on to more important topics, replying with, "Let's see if we can find the others, all right? I'll take a look over in that area, so why don't you search over there?" as he indicated each point with a gesture.  
  
Ryuhi simply nodded, grunted, and then began jogging in the direction indicated to begin his search.  
  
Within moments, everyone had been accounted for save for Cid, and a more thorough search failed to turn up any clues either. Finally, Serin called the others back and shrugged in surrender.  
  
"I really don't think we'll be able to find anything else. Besides, even if we did find Cid, it's unlikely he'd manage to get the Big Whale repaired." The paladin paused, then slowly added, "I think.that for all intents and purposes.we're stuck here."  
  
Ryuhi studiously showed no reaction to the pronouncement, Kara showed visible distress, while both Sephiroth and Urawa slowly accepted the fact that they would never see their loved ones again. Despite the enormity of the statement, both party members appeared to handle it reasonably well, and eventually resigned themselves to their fate.  
  
Continuing on, Serin stated, "At any rate, we've got a job to do, so let's get to it. My guess would be that Zemus is probably hiding in there." This was punctuated by Serin pointing over at the crystalline tower he had noticed earlier. "Does anybody disagree?"  
  
Nobody did.  
  
"All right. Let's gather up the supplies we could salvage, and hope that we can get more once we're inside." Blowing out a short breath, Serin punctuated, "Ten minutes or less, people. Let's go."  
  
It was a testament to Serin's seemingly natural abilities as a leader that everyone, even Ryuhi, immediately began to follow their directions, and within five minutes, all the salvaged supplies had been collected. With only a short pause and backward glance at the earth, the group entered their target.  
  
Ryuhi, who had taken the lead, blinked at the almost immediate change in architecture as they entered the cave directly beneath the palace. Though the place started out as a hollowed out cave entrance, about a meter in the ground merged with the tile work that comprised the floor of Zemus' apparent dwelling.  
  
The surprise wasn't lost on the others, either.  
  
Sephiroth knelt to study the flooring, running first his hand, and then the tip of his Masamune across the surface. "Hm.interesting. The material appears like glass, yet I can't seem to scratch it at all."  
  
Urawa shrugged at that point. "Maybe the floor's made of diamond. After all, the Lunarians apparently traveled all over the universe, so it's not entirely out of the question that they gathered enough diamonds to lay some flooring down."  
  
Sephiroth nodded, but replied, "True enough.but my Masamune sword is strong enough to cut through even diamonds. That it can't, implies that this is a new material we're dealing with here."  
  
Serin, meanwhile, had been pushing onward, reaching first a tall base upon which sat an elegant, yet simple chair. Assuming this to be a throne, Serin walked up the steps and ran his hand lightly over the frame, feeling something familiar nagging at him.something.no, someone who was supposed to be here. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he shook his head, and met his comrades at the bottom of the steps.  
  
"Anything interesting?"  
  
The paladin shook his head. "Nothing beyond the vague feelings, Urawa, and I've had just about enough of those. Let's continue on. With any luck, this is the throne room, and Zemus won't be far away."  
  
Pressing on into the next room proved to be an even bigger surprise, as even Ryuhi's jaw dropped in amazement at the sight that awaited them.  
  
The room itself was nothing overly spectacular, as it was a large circular domed structure with eight pedestals, one at each major and minor point of the compass.  
  
It was what floated above those pedestals that captured the party's attention.  
  
Each base supported a crystal that easily matched even Sephiroth's height, and each crystal glowed in its own distinct color. Still awed by the sight, the group split up and began to examine them, stopping short of actually touching them, at Kara and Urawa's request, as they both could feel massive amounts of magical energy rolling off of them.  
  
After a few moments, Serin blinked, and then turned to his comrades.  
  
"Wait.I remember what these are now!"  
  
Urawa whirled at that, and asked, "Huh? What do you mean, Serin?"  
  
Their leader, by way of answer, walked over and pointed to a glowing red crystal that almost appeared to have a blaze emanating from its center. "This is the crystal of Fire right here. Over there." and as he spoke, Serin moved on to the next one, which glowed a dark blue, and seemed to have the appearance of the pre-Cataclysm liquid medicine capsules, ".is the crystal of water. And these other two are Earth and Wind, respectively," he concluded, pointing to two more crystals. "That means that.these are the crystals of the elements!"  
  
Urawa scratched his head and opened his mouth to comment on that, but Kara beat him to the punch. "Okay, but.what about these other four, Serin?"  
  
Serin's enthusiasm sagged for a brief moment, but then his face brightened again. "I remember someone telling me long ago that just as there were four crystals of light controlling the elements, there were also four crystals of darkness controlling the underworld."  
  
Ryuhi adopted a skeptical voice at this. "You mean to tell me that long ago, the elements on our planet were controlled by crystals?"  
  
Sephiroth tapped a finger to his chin in thought. "It does make a certain amount of sense when you think about it. Magic apparently has been in existence on earth for a long time. It's not entirely out of the question for magic to once have been the controlling force of earth, as well."  
  
Kara then piped in with, "Well, as interesting as that may be, it doesn't bring us any closer to our goal of finding and defeating Zemus. And since there's no door in this room, where is he?"  
  
Serin grinned slowly as the answer came to him, though he had no idea where or how he knew so much. "He's right below us."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Serin pointed to a tile in the precise center of the room that was crafted differently from the others. "That teleporter will take us to Zemus' location.in the core of the moon."  
  
Urawa glanced back up at Serin with an odd expression on his face. "How."  
  
The paladin shrugged in answer. "Beats me. But I say let's not look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, if I'm wrong, we backtrack and try again."  
  
Ryuhi then smirked and punched his left fist into his palm. "Well then, lead on, fearless leader."  
  
Game for the challenge, Serin walked up and stepped directly on the tile as his comrades crowded around him. Almost as if they had hit a pressure-sensitive switch, a voice similar to the one that had greeted them in the tower at Skyhaven stated, "We will guide you to the path that leads to the core!" And with that statement and a flash of light, they were whisked away to face their destiny.  
  
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Though they were ready much later than she had wanted to be, everyone had finally assembled to follow Serin and the others to Lunaria. Had the situation not been so serious, Makoto might have been prompted to laugh.  
  
First off, when everyone found out what was going on, all of them wanted to go. Serenity had shot down that idea, however, stating that somebody had to be here to protect Crystal Tokyo. That led to Mars suggesting that the team heading to Lunaria would be comprised of herself, Serenity, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus. While Jupiter had no problems with that, Saturn threw a fit.  
  
She stated, in no uncertain terms, that she was not going to sit around while Sephiroth was in possible danger. The young senshi also added that she didn't care what their concerns were over her health and well being, there was no way she was going to be left behind.  
  
That meant that someone had to stay behind, to even up the teams, and pave the way for a possible second wave. Serenity plainly stated that since her brother was out on this mission, and she didn't particularly feel like losing him so soon, she felt a responsibility to assist him in any way. Mercury was adamant-she was going, citing her love for Urawa as the basis for her coming along, no matter what. With that precedent established, no one wanted to try talking Jupiter out of coming.  
  
That left Mars and Venus.  
  
Mars, despite her initial demands to come along, eventually conceded the remaining slot to her comrade, after drawing a pledge that they would all come back safe and sound.  
  
Finally, an hour and a half later, the five girls stood in a circle, having already transformed moments earlier. With a simultaneous whisper, the senshi called out, Scout Power.  
  
Their comrades watched as a glowing mass of energy surrounded the five girls, and with a flash, transported them to their destination.  
  
As they hovered above the surface of Lunaria in their personal 'energy globe', Mercury activated her visor, scanning for any possible threats, as well as the composition of the atmosphere. After informing her comrades of the safety of the atmosphere, the Senshi descended, and began to spread out in a defensive formation while Mercury continued working with her visor in an attempt to track down the location of Serin and the others.  
  
A few minutes into her work, the visor began emitting a sharp beeping sound. Glancing at the readout, the warrior of ice turned to her friends and shouted, "A large enemy force is coming in from the left! They're closing fast!"  
  
Standing firm, the girls glanced left and right as they surveyed the desolate landscape, expecting their opponents to show up at any moment.  
  
Seconds ticked by, but nothing showed up within visual range. After a few moments, Mercury turned to a cliff face, and shouted, "Over there!"  
  
As if summoned by her voice, four gelatinous, blob-like monsters began oozing their way down the cliff at a steady jogging man's pace, seemingly having no trouble with the awkward mode of transport. Other than the color of their bodies (one dark purple, two light pink, and one white), the four were similar in all other respects, right down to the blood red eyes.  
  
Saturn quickly reacted to the enemy presence, even as Sailor Moon reacted in disgust to the creatures. Calling her Glaive into being, she swung it outward toward their foes, calling out, "Death Ribbon Revolution!"  
  
Seemingly hundreds of black ribbons phased into existence, and shot toward their targets slicing deep into the viscous 'flesh' of the monsters. This had, predictably, no effect on their advance as the wounds instantaneously closed up as soon as the assault ended.  
  
Mercury took action immediately afterward, as she brought her crossed arms in front of her face, and shouted "Shabon Spray Freezing!" As she called out her attack's name, the warrior-princess swung her arms outward as a deluge of freezing cold descended on the battlefield. Within seconds, amid loud crackling sounds, the three blob-like monsters froze in place, their bodies immediately afterward becoming encased in large blocks of ice.  
  
Venus then followed up the attack, throwing her arms down at her sides, calling up a twirling chain of hollow hearts to encircle her body. Raising one hand up, she shook her finger once and then pointed at the three frozen foes as she called out, "LOVE-ME CHAIN!" The chain, such as it was, pierced each target, quickly shattering each block into a million pieces, which then evaporated. Standing victorious over the remains of their enemies, Mercury quickly went back to work on her computer, and smiled as the results flashed on her visor.  
  
"Bingo! Got their location! They're inside that tower over there!" she stated to her friends.  
  
Sailor Moon smiled herself and nodded as she spotted the lone spire in the distance. "All right, Scouts, let's get in there and punish them in the name of love and justice!"  
  
Their leader's gung-ho attitude was slowed down when Saturn piped up with a question. "Um.who are we going to punish? Serin and the others, or Zemus?"  
  
Neptune giggled at that, and tousled Saturn's hair. "Both, if we have time, I'd say."  
  
A chorus of laughter ensued before everyone returned to business, and began racing toward their destination, hoping that it was not too late. 


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen  
  
Sephiroth sliced through the nucleus of a purple fossil-like monster, which somehow managed to roar in pain as it collapsed and disintegrated. From behind him, he heard Kara's shout, "Get back!" and leapt back with every bit of energy he had in his legs, propelling him just behind their front line.  
  
The summoner, in the meantime, thrust her palms outward to face the four remaining creatures (valkyrie warriors with fiery-yellow hair), and called, "King of the Seas, heed my call. LEVIATHAN!"  
  
Materializing out of mid air in place of Kara and her party appeared a great light blue serpent, coiled up and intently staring at its targets, which were remarkably showing no fear in light of the fact that the odds were obviously stacked against them. The warrior women charged in, shouting apparent war cries as they prepared to attack.  
  
Leviathan apparently studied this audacity in great amusement for a few seconds before rearing up and hissing. This, in turn, summoned forth a huge tidal wave of water that rushed forward with incredible speed smashing into the fiery valkyries. With a hiss of superheated steam, the water and the creatures dissipated into nothingness. A moment later, Leviathan followed suit, to be replaced by its summoner, as well as the rest of the party. After insuring that they were indeed free and clear, Serin collapsed onto one knee, using his sword for support.  
  
"Damn! That one sack of bones was a tough customer. He must have bit me four or five times before Sephiroth finished him off." As he spoke, Urawa cast a minor healing spell on the paladin, who sighed in relief.  
  
Ryuhi brushed some dirt off of his back as he scowled even more fiercely than usual. "That ticks me off. If it hadn't been for my Cosmic Saucer going right through the skeleton's body, I wouldn't have been caught off guard for that one witch to smack me from behind."  
  
Sephiroth chuckled as Kara replied with a smirk, "Don't worry, Ryuhi. Everybody gets caught off guard once in a while. You have a definite talent for that, though since you managed to make it quite entertaining. I never thought I'd get to see someone fly face-first into a wall and leave a nice imprint."  
  
Ryuhi growled in irritation, then turned around with a 'humph'. Serin, meanwhile, had stood and was glancing around the area for any more ambushes. Seeing none, he glanced back up and sighed. They had already gone down five flights of stairs, and he didn't think that it was a good idea to head back up, especially considering that they were stuck here anyway, without any home base or extra supplies to return to. Even though they had come across a few more bottles of Ether and about five potions, Serin didn't think it would be enough.  
  
Gritting his teeth, he reminded himself of the task at hand, and called out, "Alright people, let's keep going! The longer we stay in one place, the longer Zemus will have to send reinforcements to our position."  
  
With a chorus of assents, the party continued their journey deeper into Lunaria's core.  
  
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Meanwhile.  
  
Sailor Moon gazed at the crystals just above the surface as if hypnotized by its beauty. While normally the others would be pushing for action, they were similarly enraptured. As they all wandered the area, Saturn knelt by a peculiar tile in the floor, feeling a curious energy brimming out of it. After a moment, she shrugged, and stood back up, ignoring it for the moment.  
  
Mercury slowly climbed the steps to one of the crystals, and peered at it from every angle possible, as if expecting to see a hidden door or something. Finding nothing, she activated her visor, and ran a few sequences through her computer as she scanned the crystal. As she waited for the programs to finish, she noticed her friend about to put her hand on one of them. Before she could shout out a warning, her computer began to emit loud beeping sounds, which briefly drew her attention. Shock widening her eyes, she shouted, "DON'T."  
  
Too late, Sailor Moon's hand came to rest on one of the crystal's faces, which shimmered outward from where she touched it. As she kept her hand on the gem, her friends rushed over to her, in an attempt to forcefully pull her away. Just as they reached the base of the pedestal, an ethereal voice spoke.  
  
Welcome, travelers. Long have we waited for one to speak with us.  
  
Coming to a confused halt, the other senshi paused as their leader pulled her hand away from the crystal's surface. "Who.who said that?" Jupiter asked.  
  
We, the four crystals of the elements, and the four crystals of the underworld, have spoken to you, who have come all this way.  
  
Mercury, who was regarded by many as the most knowledgeable woman in post-Cataclysm history, was flabbergasted. Several attempts were made to speak, but nothing came out.  
  
Saturn, who was quicker to recover, said it for all of them. "The.the crystals.are intelligent???"  
  
Yes. Created by the Lunarians many years ago, we have kept watch over first the earth, and then Lunaria. We have been in stasis for over 2500 years.  
  
A different voice piped in at this point, [The girl who awakened us.she has a similar power to TroYa's son.]  
  
Agreed. She is not of Lunarian blood, though.  
  
"Serin?!? Serin came through here?" Jupiter asked, barely able to contain her excitement.  
  
The first voice answered, We are not certain of his name. However, he did carry the Crystal Sword, which probably means.  
  
This time, a third voice spoke, {.That Zemus has returned.}  
  
The second voice seemed grave as it added, [And since we do not sense any other Lunarians here.]  
  
Jupiter called out a bit louder "Wait! You have guests here, you know! How far ahead of us are Serin and the others?"  
  
A fourth voice answered, With Zemus' power weakened briefly, TroYa's son and his companions went through to the core.and they've been in for quite a long time.  
  
Saturn nodded, and turned to the others. "We have to go after them."  
  
A chorus of assents came, and the first voice whispered, We will guide you to the path that leads to the core, then. Step onto the tile in the center!  
  
The girls quickly complied, and with a flash of light, they were back on the trail of their comrades.  
  
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Urawa barely managed to stay upright after the purple-skinned behemoth's attack was finished, as he felt that nearly all of his life had been drained in that attack. To the party's credit, the beast was heavily injured as well, but that last attack had more than likely turned the tide in its favor.  
  
Ryuhi struggled to maintain his focus, and gritted his teeth as the chi surged through him. Forcing his weakened muscles to react, the warrior exploded forward in a desperate attempt to down his foe, calling out, "KAIO- KEN TIMES 15!" Battering away repeatedly at the creature, Ryuhi forced his body to continue going, ignoring the screaming messages that his muscles were sending to his brain. Even as unconsciousness threatened to take him under, he relentlessly hammered away, not stopping until his body totally gave out, and forced him to collapse, utterly spent.  
  
Fortunately, by that time, the Behemoth was defeated, and the others quickly administered all the first aid that they could with what they had to the martial arts warrior. When he finally came to, Serin noted with a sinking feeling that this left them with 1 elixir (or so Urawa called it) for each of them. Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he again called for the party to press on, but was stopped by Sephiroth.  
  
"No."  
  
Serin blinked in confusion at the contradiction as he eyed the swordsman. "Huh? What do you mean, 'No'?"  
  
Sephiroth smiled slightly, and placed a hand on his comrades' shoulder. "I have a feeling that this is the last floor before we reach our goal. It's just a hunch, mind you, but my hunches are usually pretty good. What we should do is take a brief moment, and rest. We're all tired, and a tired warrior is soon a dead one. We should set up camp here, rest for a bit, and then continue on. We'll do more damage that way."  
  
Serin tensed up, prepared to fight it.and then the wisdom of his friend's advice sunk in. Blowing out a deep breath, the paladin nodded.  
  
With a simultaneous sigh of relief, everyone collapsed to the ground, with Urawa making a makeshift pillow with his pack before drifting off to sleep, Kara following suit shortly thereafter. Ryuhi, stubborn as ever, walked off a few paces, and then began an intense, energetic kata, in an attempt to further strengthen his body. Serin took the opportunity to lean against a column, hissing in pain as his legs immediately began to relax from a constantly standing state.  
  
Sephiroth, who took up residence on the other side of the column, chuckled in response. "That wasn't such a bad idea after all, was it?"  
  
Serin smirked, and responded with, "Bite me."  
  
A moment of silence passed before Serin commented with a sly tone, "So.Kara tells me you've got the hots for Saturn?"  
  
Sephiroth was thankful that no one could see his reddened face at the moment. "I knew I should have glued her mouth shut."  
  
Serin chuckled and shrugged. "Hey, nothing wrong with that. You know I've got a thing for Jupiter, so I don't see your love as anything to tease you about. I do wonder though."  
  
"What I see in her?" Sephiroth asked wryly.  
  
".Well, yeah. Kinda.I wouldn't have put it that way."  
  
Sephiroth chuckled. "I don't hold it against you. As a matter of fact, she asked me that exact same question." Leaning back further against the supporting pillar, he sighed. "I think.that it has something to do with our.similarities in our early lives."  
  
"Similarities?" Serin asked.  
  
"Yes.some things that.I'd really rather not go into."  
  
"Oh, yeah, sure.I mean, I didn't want to pry."  
  
Sephiroth chuckled again. "I know. But.we both went through a lot of the same pain in our early years. I told her that it's nice.to have someone who knows what its like." Shaking his head, he muttered, "That probably sounds crazy."  
  
".No. It actually doesn't. An emotional burden such as the one you're obviously carrying shouldn't have to be handled alone. If Saturn can help you with it, then I say you two are a perfect match," Serin commented.  
  
Sephiroth's only reply was silence for a moment, as he remained deep in thought. 'Is it possible that.that I love her? Or do I just see her as a confidante?'  
  
"Hey, Serin?"  
  
"Yeah, buddy?"  
  
"How.how did you know that you were in love with Jupiter?"  
  
Serin blinked in surprise for a moment, and took a moment to try organizing his thoughts. Truth be told, even with his memories fully restored (to his knowledge), he still wasn't sure when he knew for certain that Princess Jupiter was his true love. The words coming slowly out of his mouth, he started, "I.think.that when.you.really feel.I dunno, I guess.comfortable around the significant other."  
  
"Comfortable how? Sorry, but.well, let's just say I didn't have the best example of 'love' when I was growing up."  
  
Serin sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to concentrate. Finally, he gave up. "I really can't say, Sephiroth. For every person it's different. But trust me.when you know, you know."  
  
With mock irritation, Sephiroth muttered, "Oh, that explains everything."  
  
Serin laughed, and then slowly closed his eyes. "Well, let's see if we can get some real rest. Maybe while you're recuperating, you can also figure out the answer to your question." With a small sigh, Serin quickly took his own advice, and drifted off to sleep shortly thereafter...  
  
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Sailor Moon screamed in pain as the lightning bolt crashed down on her body, sending each of her muscles into a brief, yet intense spasm. Saturn, who had had more than enough from this imp-like creature, raced forward, and bisected the monster's body from top to bottom with her glaive. After pausing a moment to insure that the creature was dead, she hurried back to the rest of her friends, who were crowding around their fallen leader.  
  
Pushing the others back, Saturn quickly used her healing powers to rejuvenate the warrior-princess' wounds. Most of the others breathed a sigh of relief at that, save for Jupiter, who looked greatly distraught, as though she were about to cry.  
  
"Sailor Moon, I'm so, so sorry! I wasn't thinking when I hit him with a Sparkling Wide Pressure! Please believe me, I didn't mean to!"  
  
Fighting her way back to her feet, the senshi of the moon smiled weakly at her friend as she succeeded. "Don't worry about it, Jupiter. To be honest, I was fooled by that routine, too. I didn't expect one of the creatures to be smart enough for reverse psychology."  
  
Mercury smiled slightly at the memory. "It was a surprise to have it run up, and then cower in fear, begging us not to hit it with lightning."  
  
"Please don't shock me! Please! Anything but lightning!" Venus said, in a rather poor imitation of the imp's voice.  
  
This release of tension got a good laugh out of everyone, which greatly relieved Jupiter. Hugging her friend, she whispered, "Thanks."  
  
After extricating herself from the hug, the princess and her friends continued onward, coming across more corpses, many of creatures that they hadn't seen in battle themselves. Some were easily identified (such as the few dragons they saw), but others completely baffled even Mercury (purple creatures that resembled a cross between a bull and a lion, and other creatures that seemed to be little more than a grotesque purple face.).  
  
The few creatures that they did meet up with were easily dispatched, and fortunately, none of the tricky imps appeared, though Jupiter was still very cautious about launching any attacks before Mercury gave the okay.  
  
Finally, after passing through one last teleporter, the girls spotted five figures surrounding one tall, imposing being clad in a purple robe just in front of them, and immediately, they knew who it was.  
  
"SERIN!"  
  
"SEPHIROTH!"  
  
"URAWA!"  
  
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Serin and the others, meanwhile, had their own problems to work out.  
  
Urawa, acting under an impulse order from Sephiroth, had immediately cast a Slow spell on Zemus, which seemed to be working remarkably well, since the Lunarian mage had yet to retaliate, though how long that would last was anybody's guess.  
  
Serin, meanwhile, was hacking away, occasionally joined by Sephiroth, but more often than not acting on his own.  
  
Kara was firing off her most powerful spells like a machine gun, despite the fact that her body was beginning to complain about the mental strain. Starting off with her powerful Virus spell, she then went down the line to Ice, Fire, and Lightning, repeating as needed.  
  
Sephiroth, when not tag teaming with Serin, was also casting his powerful attack magic, hardly pausing or moving as he continued to hammer Zemus with his attacks.  
  
Urawa, who saw no need to heal the party just yet, maintained a defensive posture for the inevitable counter attack, save for the one time he decided to use his new spell to blast Zemus with holy magic.  
  
Finally, Ryuhi, who had been standing back from the action this entire time, called out, "TAKE COVER!" Turning his gaze up at his foe, the martial artist grinned wickedly as he formed the familiar sphere of chi.  
  
"If you really want to see how strong you are, then just hold that pose," he commented. Lobbing the sphere with a powerful sidearm throw, Ryuhi covered his face with his arm, just after taking a sneak peek to insure that the attack did, in fact, hit its target dead on.  
  
Hearing several screams of surprise from behind him, Ryuhi risked a glance back to see, much to his shock, five of the Sailor Scouts struggling to stand against the shockwave of the explosion. Gritting his teeth, he then turned back to the front, as the explosion died down, and lowered his arm.  
  
Zemus staggered a couple of steps back, and coughed up a thick stream of blood. Glaring at his opponents, he muttered, "This.is.only the.beginning, you fools!" Coughing a bit more, he gave a final gasp, and then collapsed to the ground.  
  
The silence that followed was so complete; one could have heard the sound of a heartbeat from several feet away. It was broken by Ryuhi, who smirked as he said, "Well.I don't know what everyone was so worried about! This guy had a creamy center, as it turned out."  
  
Serin would have replied to that, except that his senses directed him to turn, just in time to catch a human missile in his arms, which immediately began smothering him with kisses, even as they both collapsed to the floor.  
  
"Ma.Mako-chan, I.come on, there's people looking."  
  
Jupiter took one brief moment to stop, and she held his face in between her palms as she gently tapped the back of his head against the floor. "Serin, I love you more than life itself, but if you ever do anything like that again, I'll kill you."  
  
Serin smiled sheepishly and nodded at that. "Yeah, I know it wasn't the smartest thing to do, Mako-chan, but it was all Sephiroth's idea, and."  
  
"Oh, so it was your idea, huh, Seph?!?"  
  
Sephiroth turned to see an understandably irate Saturn stomping over to him, her Silence Glaive gripped tightly in her right hand. Gulping, the swordsman glanced down at the materia in his Masamune, his dread growing when he couldn't find any Sleep materia. After he briefly thought about having Urawa cast a sleep spell on her, his lover was in front of him.and before anyone could react, smacked him on the head with the pole of her glaive.  
  
"Aaahhh, son of a.!"  
  
Waving a finger under his nose, the senshi of death stated, "Repeat after me, Seph-kun: I will never try to leave my girlfriend behind again."  
  
Blinking both in pain and surprise, the swordsman nodded, and repeated the phrase, with enough vigor that it was acceptable to his significant other. Urawa managed to get off the hook with Mercury by spinning a yarn that they had tied and gagged him to bring him aboard, and though Kara heard the lie, she decided against saying anything to get her master in trouble.  
  
After a few moments of affection between the established couples, Sailor Moon slowly walked up to her brother, who was just standing up from his and Jupiter's 'down time', and gave him the once over before breaking in to a broad smile, and nodding.  
  
"Not bad, Serin.not bad at all. 'Course, I could have done a lot better."  
  
Serin's eyes widened, as he took a menacing half step toward her. Serenity, understandably, giggled as she backed up while sticking out her tongue.  
  
Sephiroth cut in at this point, stating "Wait, wait.much as I'm glad to see you all.how did you get here? The Big Whale was destroyed, and."  
  
Saturn glanced up at the taller swordsman and queried, "Oh, so that's what that flash of pain I felt was."  
  
Moon answered Sephiroth, "Well, it's one of the powers that we Senshi have. We can transport to any location we wish at just about any time."  
  
Ryuhi turned an unreadable look over at his comrade, and said, "Nice, Sephiroth. We couldn't have left them behind even if we'd really wanted to. You just proved that you know a LOT about them."  
  
In the midst of the ensuing laughter, Urawa happened to glance behind him, and his eyes widened. Stepping away from the prone body of Zemus, he called out, "Guys."  
  
Mercury was the first to note something wrong, and when she discovered the problem, her call of alarm snagged the entire team's attention.  
  
Once again, the silence that pervaded the room was complete, but now, it was a silence of shock and horror. For once, even Ryuhi was rooted to the spot as they all watched Zemus' body rise up, of its own accord, and begin to change.  
  
Skin ripped apart, cloth tore, and limbs cracked into new positions as the powerful Lunarian mage transcended death to assume a new form. When the transformation was complete, little of his original visage could be seen, as he appeared to be a blue spherical mass of flesh with an area near the bottom that vaguely resembled a face.  
  
"Born of Zemus' rage, a product of dark substance.my name is Zeromous. I.AM.THE HATRED!!!" the creature stated in a rumbling voice.  
  
A flash of power sent everyone forcefully crashing into a wall, where each of them slumped over, unconscious. Unheard by them, Zeromous laughed maniacally.  
  
"My rage will last until I destroy all. Now it's your turn.come into my darkness!"  
  
As the monster gathered energy for its final blow, a glowing light began to emanate from Sailor Moon's locket. The Silver Imperium Crystal then phased out and rose up into the air, bathing everything and everyone in it's light.  
  
Several orbs of the Crystal's power went into the Senshi and their friends, quickly reviving them to the fullest extent of their power. As they slowly stood in surprise and confusion, the final orb shot straight into Zeromous, who quickly convulsed in reaction, and began to roar in pain.  
  
"Gr.RRRGGGHHH!!!"  
  
Unsure what to expect, the group readied their most powerful weapons and spells as Zeromous underwent yet one more transformation into his ultimate form, which defied description. It became quite clear to all that this would be the final battle.and anything less than first place would be unacceptable for either side. 


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen  
  
For once, Ryuhi was a little slow off the starting blocks, as Urawa strained his considerable magic power to speed up the reaction times of the party with a Fast spell.  
  
With the enhanced speed, Kara quickly went through the motions and summoned her most powerful companion: Bahamut. The legendary grey dragon peered at it's target briefly, then unleashed a devastating blast from it's mouth that shook the entire cavern, causing pebbles and dust to rain down from above.  
  
Zeromous responded in kind by forming several bolts of lightning around his body, and then sending them forth over his opponents' ranks, causing severe damage.  
  
Sephiroth, fortunately, was quick to respond with a Cure spell, neatly healing the effects of Zeromous' attack, while Saturn covered with a Death Ribbon Revolution attack.  
  
Seeing his opportunity, Ryuhi focused his chi, and called out, "Kaio- Ken times 15!" Hammering away at his opponent, Ryuhi ended up fighting a two front battle as he attempted to fight down his disgust at Zeromous' surface texture, while simultaneously hitting him as hard as he could. After the enhancement wore off, the martial artist delivered one final kick, and hopped back.  
  
Zeromous then responded in appropriate fashion by briefly eliminating all light in the area. The party muttered in confused fashion until Urawa shouted, "He canceled the spell!"  
  
With this tidbit of information, it became the party's prime focus to direct as many party members to damage their opponent as fast as they could. Before they could set about their new course of action, however, a searing pain coursed through their bodies as they all felt sick to their stomachs. A retching sound could be heard as somebody threw up, but nobody had the time or opportunity to look and see who the unfortunate individual was.  
  
Struggling to her knees now that the initial bout of nausea had passed, Venus brought her hands together and threw them palm outward at Zeromous, shouting the attack phrase, "Love and Beauty SHOCK!" The energy heart blasted a sizeable hole in the monster's body, which had the added effect of eliciting a roar of pain from the recipient.  
  
Urawa whispered something in Mercury's ear, to which she shook her head at first. After he whispered something else, she pursed her lips, nodded, and as Urawa cast his Holy spell, the ice senshi attacked with Aqua Rhapsody. Just before the attacks hit, they fused into each other, forming a fine, golden spray over the monster. This weakened Zeromous further, but the personified rage responded with its most powerful attack.Meteo.  
  
Hundreds of magical meteors hammered the senshi and their allies as they screamed in pain. Though the attack only lasted for a few seconds, it seemed like hours. Though all managed to stay on their feet, all were on the verge of collapse. Sephiroth and Urawa quickly pooled their efforts and got everyone back in tip top shape, just in time to fight off another bout of nausea.  
  
In response to this, Serin rushed forward, attacking Zeromous with two powerful swings of his sword. As he retreated, Jupiter prepped her own attack, and shouted, "OAK EVOLUTION!" A flowery blast of lightning slammed into the creature's body, the inherent energy arcing and sparking across its body. With little more than a flicker of response, Zeromous again cast his cancellation spell...but since there were no effects to neutralize, the senshi and their allies saw this as an opportunity to deliver some real damage.  
  
Tag teaming with Kara and Sephiroth, Venus used her Wink Sword attack this time, having them cast their spells on the energy blade as it soared toward her target, having it further augmented by their own Fire spells. Several of the party members would later swear that their eyebrows were singed from the heat blast that resulted from the explosion.  
  
It was at this point that Serin noticed something strange. It seemed like this...monstrosity did have a face. And it appeared to be...smiling???  
  
Just as the paladin noticed this, Zeromous formed a blast of fire underneath each party member, consuming them in a personal inferno. Screams of pain resounded throughout the cavern, even after the attack was over. With a degree of struggle, Urawa managed to hastily cast a healing spell over the party, but was unable to focus enough to completely heal his comrades. Nonetheless, this provided Sailor Moon with enough to hit the Lunarian mage with a Spiral Heart attack, almost sending the behemoth back a few steps. Struggling to his feet, Serin's face held a look of hope that this might have done the job. Unfortunately, it quickly died as Zeromous unleashed another bombardment of meteors on the group  
  
A scream from behind, different from the others, caught his attention, and he saw Mercury collapsing in a heap, motionless. Urawa screamed, "NO!", which was echoed by the others, and ran to her side, his face streaked with tears as he supported her up.  
  
Serin saw nothing more, because at that moment, he gritted his teeth, charged at Zeromous, and used his Crescent Slash skill, the moon that he sliced into his enemies skin exploding with raw power to draw out a scream of rage from the monster. Just as he prepared for another attack(and another, however many it would take...), a male voice called out, "CLEAR!"  
  
Placing the voice, Serin instantly obeyed, backing away as fast as he could from Zeromous. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ryuhi holding a Spirit Bomb above his hand...but this one made his hair stand on end as he looked at it. Gulping amid the flash of hope, Serin started to mention that this may not be a good idea, but the martial artist was too quick, whipping the attack at his target with a growl of effort and rage. With Zeromous possessing no mobility, the outcome of the throw was predictable.  
  
Everyone braced and flattened themselves against the floor, groaning against the shockwave that forced them back. Even before the results were over, Serin was impatiently scanning through the blast, trying to determine how successful the attack was.  
  
Ever confident, Ryuhi laughed. "Yeah! Eat that, you deformed FREAK! Bite me!" he taunted.  
  
Suddenly, several orbs appeared surrounding the martial artist's body. Confused, he glanced around at them, until they suddenly converged on him, exploding with severe magical energy from within. For a moment, he simply stood there, as if defying his attacker once again, but then he coughed, and slowly collapsed, motionless, to the floor.  
  
'No...oh, no, please no...' Jupiter prayed. She fervently hoped that that attack was only Zeromous' last gasp, and not...  
  
But her hopes, and everyone else's, were in vain as they saw a familiar grotesque form appear in the dust caused by the Spirit Bomb. Despite their strongest attacks, Zeromous was still alive.  
  
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"WAHAHAHAHA!!! You see?!? Your power is nothing compared to mine! Your efforts to resist are futile! Now...you shall DIE!" the personified rage gloated.  
  
Before any of the group could hope to get into defensive or attack postures, Zeromous unleashed yet another blast of meteors, managing to successfully take out all but three of the group, with all on the verge of collapse.  
  
Sephiroth, using his Masamune as a cane, glanced over at his remaining conscious comrades, then up at their enemy. Seeing another attack coming, the swordsman resigned himself to the inevitable, and cast a powerful Cure spell on the two of them just before the creature cast the same spell used to claim Ryuhi.  
  
Serin, who felt exceptionally stronger, felt a fleeting sense of despair as he eyed his comrades lying on the ground; dead, for all he knew. Fighting down a sense of hopelessness, he tightened his grip on the Crystal Sword, and glanced at his sister, Sailor Moon, who wore the same look of steely determination that he was certainly bearing himself. The two siblings, their eyes locked, nodded as one.  
  
Serin began to charge at the creature, his sword extended behind him for a powerful instantaneous slash. As he did so, Sailor Moon began charging up to fire off a Spiral Heart Attack. Just as the paladin leapt, the senshi leader shot off her attack, scoring a hit right on her brother's sword, which glowed brightly with barely contained energy. As he reached the apex of his jump, Serin tensed his muscles, and swung with every ounce of strength that he had left in his body, plus some he didn't have. The sword bit into Zeromous, and as the young paladin descended to the ground, it became obvious that the energy inherent in the attack had proceeded to cleave the monster in half.  
  
As Serin hit the ground, he immediately collapsed to one knee, supporting himself with the sword and his free hand. As he looked up, a faint, ethereal form of Zemus stood there, an enraged look still easily visible on his face.  
  
"So.you managed to defeat me. Well done. However, don't think that this means you've truly won. Not only will Zeromous, and by extension myself, never disappear due to the dark thoughts in man's heart.I have one last card to play."  
  
With those words, a rumble became noticeable throughout the room, which somehow served to awaken the others who had, fortunately, only been knocked unconscious during the fight.  
  
"With my last ounce of energy, I have set this world ship on a collision course with earth.with Crystal Tokyo right in the center! Live in despair, fools, as the human race is destroyed before your eyes!" With that final statement, Zemus slowly vanished.  
  
While everyone else began to panic, Urawa simply swung his staff to encompass everyone in the group, and shouted, "EXIT!" With a kaleidoscope- like flash of light, the party found themselves standing in the entrance to the castle they had seen earlier.  
  
Kara quickly recovered from the disorientation, as Urawa had taught her that spell long ago, before she felt the calling to be a summoner(pun intended). Glancing up at Lunaria's 'sky', she gasped in horror and pointed.  
  
It appeared to have been a faint hope that Zeromous/Zemus had been lying.unfortunately, he hadn't been.  
  
Earth, which at Lunaria's original distance had been little more than a blue orb with white highlights, was now close enough to see the size and shape of the various landmasses.and judging by the increasingly stronger wind that was blowing by everyone, the two planetary bodies were getting closer.  
  
Serin took a moment to look back, but noticed as he did that his sister was gone. Frowning in confusion, he headed back into the castle, heading as far back as the crystal room before.  
  
"PRINCESS! NO!!!"  
  
At the shout, the paladin spun around in surprise, as he hadn't even been aware that he was followed. The look on the other senshi's faces did little to relieve him, however.  
  
"It's all right, guys," their leader calmly stated as she called forth the Imperium Crystal from its customary place in her locket. "I did this before, and everything turned out okay, remember?" So saying, she metamorphosed into her regal self, that of Neo-Queen Serenity.  
  
"But that was an asteroid, not a moon! And Fiore's not here to save you again! Don't use the Crystal!" Mercury shouted desperately.  
  
Sephiroth whispered to Saturn, "What's going on?"  
  
In a low voice that carried a trace of fear, she replied, "She's planning to use the Silver Imperium Crystal to break Lunaria apart, in order to save the Earth. But."  
  
"But what?" Sephiroth urged.  
  
"But if she doesn't have the necessary strength.she could." Unable to finish her sentence, Saturn buried herself in the swordsman's arms with a deluge of tears. She knew Serenity.perhaps not as well as the Inner Senshi did, but well enough to know that her mind was set, and that she would save the Earth.or die trying.  
  
As if on cue, the warrior-princess held the crystal over her head, and its glow intensified. The shouts and pleas of her comrades went unheard, as she focused every fiber of her being into this one, all- important task.  
  
As it was, she wasn't aware that Serin had stepped in front of her until he placed his hands on her shoulders. Startled, she dropped her hands, and blinked.  
  
For a brief moment, her brother gazed deep into her eyes, and then gave one of his trademark smirks. "Not alone, sis. 'United we stand, divided we fall.' I understand your determination...but you will never have to go this road alone again." And with those words, he unsheathed his weapon, pulled the crystal from midair, and placed it in its specified niche. As soon as the two were attached, the entire sword began glowing brilliantly, and Serin lowered his hands from it, leaving it floating in midair. Sighing, and steeling himself, he looked back up at his sister, and raised an eyebrow. "Ready?"  
  
Unable to stop herself from giggling, despite the enormity of the task ahead, she nodded. "Let's do this."  
  
The two siblings joined their hands on either side of the suspended sword, and began to concentrate, sending the energy they had into their last hope. At first, both of them gritted their teeth as they each felt the strain on their body and soul. Little by little, however, both Serin and Serenity could feel the strain on their bodies lessen as their comrades joined them. For Serenity, it was like déjà vu; for Serin, it was a teamwork exercise with a big prize-a home to go to.  
  
Before too long, Serin could feel that all of their friends had joined them in their effort-and that it wasn't enough. Trying his hand at telepathy, he called out, 'It's not enough, Serenity! We can't take this strain for much longer!!!'  
  
When he didn't receive a reply, the paladin opened his eyes to see his sister concentrating even more fiercely than normal. And soon, he could feel the strain on everyone lessening even further.  
  
The shock evidently showed on his face, because when his sister opened her eyes, she gave a devilish smirk that was remarkably similar to his own, and shouted, "Everyone's joining in! Endy-chan, Chibi-usa, Mars...everyone!"  
  
Serin's brow furrowed in confusion until he felt the distinct energy signatures that had just joined in the effort. Understanding dawned on his face, and he nodded.  
  
The queen, however, knew that it was going to be close. The Lunarian world ship was breaking apart quite quickly due to the Earth's atmospheric friction, and the Crystal's total power, but she knew that they still had to divert its course away from Crystal Tokyo.away from any habitats, for that matter.  
  
Just as the thought crossed her mind, the pressure against her body and soul again eased, to the point where it was barely noticeable. Her surprise was mirrored by Serin, who shot a questioning look at her, only to receive a shrug in return.  
  
They received their answer as a familiar ethereal voice stated, Our assistance, we shall lend.  
  
[For the Earth,] a second stated.  
  
{And for the memory of Lunaria,} chorused a third.  
  
Faintly, through the entire moon, a rumbling was felt, and Serenity, along with those facing the same direction as her, gasped at the sight that could faintly be seen through the open door.  
  
Not only was Lunaria closer than originally thought to Earth, but from the direction the ground was moving, the Elemental Crystals were joining in with enough power to direct the planetoid remnants somewhere where it wouldn't do any harm upon impact.  
  
As the ground raced closer, everyone unconsciously braced for impact; and was unaware of the bright light that whisked them out of the castle.  
  
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Serin stood on a cliff overlooking the crystallized remains of what had once been the Pacific Ocean. Far from shore, smoke and steam billowed from a huge crater that had been gouged out as the Lunarian Palace hit.  
  
Sailor Moon came up at that point, and then tiptoed the last few feet. When she got within range, the young senshi put her hand on her brother's shoulder and said softly, "Hey."  
  
Much to her disappointment, Serin barely jerked as he turned to face her. "Hey, sis, what's up?"  
  
"I just got off of the communicator with Uranus and the others. They'll have a transport here within fifteen minutes."  
  
Smiling, the paladin returned his gaze to the sea. "That's good. After all that's happened, I feel like having someone chauffeur me around for a bit."  
  
Laughing, his sister sat on a nearby rock. After a moment passed, she asked, "So.what do you plan to do?"  
  
Serin was silent for so long, that Moon was about to repeat her question when he answered, "Well.first off, Jupiter and I plan to get married. After that.I dunno."  
  
Her eyes goggled as she processed this bit of information. "WHAT?!? Why didn't she tell me?"  
  
Serin shot a wicked smirk back at his sister and quipped, "Gee, maybe it's because things got kind of busy?"  
  
Sailor Moon shot daggers with her gaze, only to be met by one of Serin's best innocent looks. After a moment, she smiled.  
  
"I suppose. In any case, congratulations. You better treat her right, or I'll send a Rainbow Moon Heart Ache attack up your butt!"  
  
Serin laughed, and then turned serious. "What about you? I mean, I think it's kind of obvious that you'll be returning to Crystal Tokyo, but.well, you got anything specific in mind?"  
  
A sudden mischievous look appeared on her face as she was reminded of why she had originally come up here. Adopting a carefree attitude, she said, "Oh, of course I'll return. The only problem I see is that I'll be creating a few new offices, and well...I'll need people to fill them."  
  
Serin blinked and frowned at that. "Oh?"  
  
"Yeah. Of course, I've got a couple candidates in mind to fill those positions. The only problem is that one of them is boorish, rude, and completely uncivilized. He couldn't possibly fit in the position that I have in mind!"  
  
Narrowing his eyes playfully as he started to catch on, Serin asked, "Really, now? And what, pray tell, is this individual's name?"  
  
Giggling, Moon dropped the game and stated simply, "You, you big goof!"  
  
Serin chuckled, and then tilted his head. "Okay.it's not like I've got any other big plans for the future. What office?"  
  
A slight smile crossed the queen's face as she answered, "You and Sephiroth are going to be a type of check and balance against me should something like this happen again."  
  
This time, it was Serin's turn to get goggled eyes. After a moment, he finally captured his voice. "Why? I mean, it's kind of obvious why, but...you don't honestly think something like this will happen again, do you?" he asked.  
  
A trace of sadness was evident in Sailor Moon's voice as she replied, "I can't take the chance. I'm still frightened at how easily and quickly Zemus was able to subdue Crystal Tokyo to his will. And...you heard what he said..."  
  
Serin nodded solemnly. "You think that the next time, he'll be smarter...and possibly win."  
  
Sailor Moon half nodded. "Yes and no. I believe in my friends and you, but as I said...we can't take that chance."  
  
Serin pursed his lips, and slowly nodded as he processed this information. After a few moments of silence, Sailor Moon added with a hint of playfulness, "You and Jupiter will be able to talk to each other any time you want, without having to go through our dispatchers."  
  
She didn't need to mention anything else. 


	20. Chapter 19 & Epilogue

Chapter Nineteen  
  
Serin rushed into the room with more speed than even Ryuhi was capable of, and began tearing off his old clothes as he searched desperately for the tuxedo he had ordered a month ago.  
  
Standing off to one side, with his Masamune ever-present at his side, Sephiroth grinned at the scene in the mirror as he gave his tie one final tug to put it in place. "Hit the sauce a little too much last night, huh?"  
  
"Go to hell, Seph," Serin responded good-naturedly, but with more than a hint of venom in the words. "Damn Ryuhi.spiking the punch like that.Urawa putting a sleep spell on me.Why didn't you wake me up?"  
  
Sephiroth blushed furiously as the memory of his last night came to mind. "I, uh.um, I was busy?"  
  
The paladin paused for a moment, and peered suspiciously at his comrade. "You just couldn't wait, could you?"  
  
Sephiroth shrugged, not about to make any apologies. "We didn't go that far. I just found myself enjoying her company too much to leave her. Besides, I didn't come in late like you."  
  
The word 'late' seemed to spark his friend back to action, as Serin whipped on clothes with unimaginable speed. However, when he got to his own tie, all he succeeded in doing was making it into a hangman's noose.  
  
With great difficulty, the swordsman commented levelly, "Though that is the unofficial symbol for today, somehow I doubt the humor would go over too well. Here, let me." With a few quick movements from his hands, Sephiroth was finished, and allowed his friend to view his handiwork.  
  
Upon doing so, Seph glanced down and pointed to Serin's cufflinks. "Hey, aren't those.?"  
  
The paladin smiled sheepishly. "Yeah.Endymion said he'd consider it a great honor if I wore them today. Since he's my brother-in-law, who was I to refuse?"  
  
Nodding, Sephiroth suddenly had flash of self-consciousness, and began to look himself over in the mirror once more, even going so far as to see what he could do with his stray strand of hair that refused to stay back.  
  
"Hey, Seph, today's not your day to be nervous. Save that for me, okay?"  
  
The swordsman laughed. "Are you?" he asked.  
  
Serin wiped a hand across his brow. "Never been more so. I'd almost rather face a hundred Zeromous' than this."  
  
Sephiroth cocked an eyebrow at him, and Serin raised a finger, punctuating his reply. "Almost. I'm not stupid, you know."  
  
Calmly, the two made their way through the outer chambers before they made it to the chapel, whereupon Sephiroth and Serin took their places, after Serin shot a withering glance at both Ryuhi and Urawa, with the former ignoring the look, and the latter managing to radiate innocence.  
  
Finally, the music changed, and everyone present stood as the main doors opened.  
  
First came Chibi-usa, who was more than happy to be the flower girl for her friend's wedding. As she went down the aisle, she spread pink roses, which Serin had found out to be Mako-chan's favorite. Though it was initially difficult to find them, Sephiroth had surprised everyone by producing several boquets. When asked where he managed to get them, the swordsman only smirked enigmatically and shrugged. Next came Diana in her human form, who carried the wedding rings on a green and white pillow with sugar pink lace all around it. Somehow, Serin was not surprised to see that, as Mercury had taken it upon herself to do that little part all by herself. The paladin made a mental note to thank her for that job.  
  
Third in line came the senshi of the court, which again was no surprise to Serin, but seeing Kara in line with them was, especially considering that all of them lined up in the area normally reserved for the maid of honor.  
  
Leaning over, Sephiroth muttered, "Must be hard to choose a maid of honor when you've got no relatives and eight best friends."  
  
As he was about to reply, Serin happened to glance over to the door.and was speechless.  
  
Makoto stood at the door, dressed in a long, light green gown that was accented with a sugar-pink bow at the back, and a white veil and headdress. She was, to say the least, stunning to Serin. Time passed by in a flash as she approached the altar, and she stood expectantly in front of him. Barely aware of his trembling fingers, Serin lifted her veil to stare into her shimmering eyes.  
  
Lost in those eyes, Serin acted on autopilot for the rest of the evening as vows were exchanged and rings placed on the partner's finger. Then came the moment that both parties had been waiting to hear.  
  
"You may now kiss the bride."  
  
Reaching up with his hands, Serin smiled slightly, and leaned in. As soon as their lips touched, Makoto threw her arms around him, bouquet and all, holding him close to her. As they broke, she whispered, "I don't ever want to let go of you, my shining knight."  
  
With a mischievous glint, Serin asked, "Why should you have to, princess?", and with that, literally swept her off her feet as he began to carry her down the aisle in his arms, to the catcalls and hoots of those present. As they reached the end of the aisle, Makoto called out, "Wait, Serin, wait!" Looking back over his shoulder, she called out, "All those who want to remain single or are already married, you'd better get clear! This item is non-negotiable!" And with no more warning than that, she turned away, and flung the bouquet as hard as she could over her husband's shoulder.  
  
As soon as the floral missile headed up, every hand was outstretched, trying to get to it. As it happened, though, the bride had put so much power into her throw that it hit Ryuhi in his forehead, rebounding neatly into his outstretched hands. The photographer on duty had time to catch one snapshot of the martial artist's horrified glance before it melted away.  
  
With much laughter, and more than one shout of encouragement, the two newlyweds climbed into their hovercar, and with a final good-bye, took off for the night that would change their entire lives.  
  
Epilogue  
  
A lone figure, seated in an imposing throne, observed the events from afar, thanks to the crystal shard that hovered nearby. As the two newlyweds sped off, he settled back and let out a barely audible 'hm'.  
  
"Master?"  
  
Appearing out of the shadows, a young boy in plain leather robes gazed expectantly up at the first, with a quizzical expression on his face.  
  
"The foolish senshi and their allies just defeated the Lunarian mage, Zemus. I just didn't think it would happen, is all." With that, the seated figure waved his hand over the shard, dispelling the image.  
  
"Do.do you want me to do anything, sir?" the boy asked.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well.I thought that.was unacceptable," the youth stated hesitantly, with a touch of fear.  
  
As he rose, the seated being chuckled. "Well, certainly it causes me to revise a few of my plans, but it's far from being a catastrophe. Besides, if I was defeated by them time and again, I highly doubt that you would fare much better."  
  
Anger flared on the youngster's face as he gritted his teeth. "They'd pay for the victory, at least."  
  
"I don't doubt that, Medivh, but for now, we must refrain from throwing ourselves into meaningless battles. Now is the time to gather our strength and gain new allies. Then, and only then, can we hope to stand a chance against those brats."  
  
Medivh looked back up at his leader with a small smile. "You're right, milord." The word 'allies' served to remind him why he had come here in the first place. "Master, I seem to have located two people who may have powers that could be...useful for our cause. I thought you might like to 'appraise their value', so to speak."  
  
Stepping out of the shadows himself, the figure grinned viciously at the thought as the light shone on his short blonde hair and icy blue eyes. "Excellent. Just a little bit more time, that's all we need. And then, the Failure Scouts will pay for my humiliation. Oh, yes...they will pay." And with those words, the figure's laughter filled the mountain stronghold he had just taken residence in, chilling the bones and souls of the entire Desert Fox clan..  
  
FIN.  
  
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Final Author's Notes: WOW! 6 LONG FRICKIN' YEARS LATER, this fanfic is finally DONE!!! As you've probably guessed there will be a sequel, but like a certain favorite game of mine, not everything is going to be wrapped up in the sequel. I may have to (GASP, SHOCK, HORROR!) make this a trilogy-perhaps longer if I have enough positive input!  
  
Anyway, I know that there are several questions about my choice of characters in this story. Let me hasten to assure each and every one of you readers that I have a story behind Sephiroth's appearance. His story will be explained in the next installment, so I'm just going to ask people to be patient. Also, in the case of romances.Urawa/Ami was a given, agreed? Agreed. Serin/Makoto.okay, that's questionable, but I wanted it to work that way (she's my favorite). Sephiroth/Saturn.get that thought out of your head, Saturn is 19 in my story, and Sephiroth.well, since he doesn't have an 'official' age, I pegged him at about 23. So their romance is between two adults, therefore LEEMEELONE! If you have further questions, comments, or 'constructive criticism' send them to scott_kamps@hotmail.com.  
My thanks go to the following people:  
  
Squaresoft Japan/America, for making such a ROCK ASS RPG series!  
  
Naoko Takeuchi-sama, for making the anime series that got me into anime.  
  
Rob Reeg, for encouraging me to continue with this story, even when I had to start over because my first one sucked.  
  
Ramiah Powers, for his 'unique' encouragement in finishing this story (no amount of craziness was too much for him)  
  
Erykah Fasset, for putting up with my 'bastardizing' her favorite senshi and RPG villain. At least they were happy, right Erykah-chan? Uh, Erykah, why do you have that mallet that you pulled out of C-space? Erykah, no, no, I didn't mean.AAAHHH!!! 


End file.
